Wings of Remnant
by Beowulf the Novelborn
Summary: Follow the paths of the child of a legendary Faunus breed, a child of royalty who dreams of becoming a huntress, a synthian girl with a big heart, and a cutthroat avenger with dark powers and an even darker past. These four will shape the face of RWBY and take you above and beyond the worlds of Remnant! (In memory of Monty Oum, my inspiration.)
1. Chapter 1: Descent

Chapter 1: Descent

Years ago, the Great War both shattered and restored Remnant.

Many died during the battles between the Faunus and the humans. And in the aftermath, bonds formed between the humans and Faunus. But old wounds festered, sparking the violent actions of the once peaceful White Fang. Yet some Faunus have been isolated by conflict.

Ask any human or Faunus in civilized Remnant and they'll tell you about the legendary Halcyon Faunus. They say that they fought behind the scenes of the war. But they all supposedly vanished, supposedly driven to extinction in their attempt to stop the war. It wasn't long before the humans and Faunus in Remnant passed the Halcyon off as a mere legend. Despite popular belief, the Halcyons were in fact still real. They had deliberately isolated themselves from humans, abiding in the one refuge where no human could ever survive. Heck the Halcyons did more than survive, they thrived.

The decades passed with bare minimum contact with the outside world, only acting in absolute secrecy. They remained invisible to all. It seemed like the Halcyons would merely be ghosts throughout history. Regardless of what all say, the humans and Faunus (Halcyons included) had a common enemy, the creatures of Grimm. And no one had a stronger hatred for the Grimm than a Huntsman to be.

(Nimbus' workshop, Stratos)

The final touches were being placed on my great masterpiece. Two curved blade formations connected by a pair of perfectly fitting gauntlets. Each gauntlet would serve a different purpose. I flipped the final piece in my hands. This was the most delicate part of all. If I misplaced this piece, even a fraction off, the whole project would come crumbling down. I was not letting this slip past me. This rare crystal was what would give my new weapon the first dating example of a new power source.

One would look at this night-sky blue and star-speckled crystal and say that they had a galaxy in the palm of their hand. I had never spoken a word about that night out by the city's walls when this thing fell from the night sky. It was a Stardust Crystal. I've done solo studies of dust myself and determined countless uses on my own.

Of course the humans and Faunus had already figured this stuff out, like weaving dust into the clothes I wore. But this crystal was different. It didn't have a power nature at all and therefore could not be burned as other dust crystals could, I tried. But there was more to this little piece than meets the eye. This crystal was just what I in particular needed. I took out my tweezers and began to place the now split crystal into both gauntlets. The first went in without a hitch, and I quickly locked it into place. I then moved to place the last one into the chamber.

The door flew open and I yanked the piece back out in surprise. I juggled it in the air for a moment in an attempt to catch it. I then proceeded with the operation and placed the crystal in correctly. Finally, it was finished.

I turned around to face my friendly nemesis. He stood six foot two, a little taller than me, and he had sleek blonde hair with blue highlights on the side. It was surprisingly a good look for him. He wore a blue jacket and black jeans.

"Jay!" I snarled, "I was in the middle of a delicate operation here! You could have ruined over three months of work for me!"

"Of course I knew that. I've heard that you spend every minute you have in here. I just came to wish you luck out there."

I looked over my shoulder with a raised eyebrow, "If you insulted me just now, it slipped over my head."

"No. I'm actually serious this time. The Grimm are getting worse out there. I don't want to see my future rival get eaten alive. I can only hope that you become a proper Huntsman." I smirked quietly. Jay's shirt ruffled and he unfurled the wings on his back, blue on top with a little white and black on the bottom. His blue jay wings (hence his name) were fifteen feet in wingspan. He offered it to me in a traditional "shake" as humans would call it. I hesitated.

"Um, I need to get moving before anyone catches on. You know what I mean." We said our goodbyes for now and we both left. I locked my workshop behind me. I put on my gauntlets and the blades folded up, like that of a mantis.

I looked at myself in the mirror as I passed a shop. I was five foot eleven and a half, I had turned eighteen not but a week ago. I was relatively slim, like all Halcyons were, but don't ever misjudge; we're a lot stronger than we look. My hair was sunset gold-orange and I had a violet streak in the same place that Jay had his blue highlights. I wore blue jeans, a dark blue jacket/trench coat with star designs. My eyes were once hazel, but now my irises are dark blue, almost black, speckled by glimmering white stars…just like the Stardust crystal. I had modeled my jacket off of this design. But my eyes were colored like that because of the crystals.

As I walked down the road with a new purpose, people began to glimpse at me. They knew that something was different about me. I kept going until I was out of the gates of the city and at the edge of the island. Rather it was a _skyland_. The Halcyons were essentially a breed of bird Faunus, and they had moved to the skyland chain known as Stratos. No humans or any other breed of Faunus could live in the conditions of a skyland over two miles above the earth. Either way, no one would ever find it due to the sea of clouds surrounding it at all times. It was small compared to the kingdoms of Remnant, but it was still a large land mass. I had been cooped up here for my whole life. I wanted to be out there so bad, but everyone knew that I had no way of using dust. That was until I found these crystals. They were my key to survival.

There was a group of hunters and huntress to be out on the edge of the skyland who were now looking at me.

"Seriously? You're going to die out there. Just leave the Grimm to us."

I said not a word as I looked behind me to see the city guards rushing to me.

"Nimbus Altos! Stay right where you are!" they all drew their weapons. I smiled as I unfurled my new wings. My feathers were silver in tine but my flight feathers were comprised of Stardust crystals. They gasped and the leader Icarus stepped forward.

"Are you mad?! Embedding dust into your body is a criminal offense!"

I growled in annoyance, "It's not embedding, Icarus. It's my semblance. I've simply become prepared for my role as a hunter. Ciao!" I mock saluted as I fell backwards into the abyss.

.

I tucked my wings and fell faster towards the earth. I caught myself, exiting my dive and flying ad lightning speed. I arced up the side of a cliff over an area known as the Emerald forest in Vale. It was a hot spot for Grimm.

So I began my prowl, focusing on the ground below me. The good thing about flying is that you can focus on anything away from your trajectory and feel assured that you won't crash into anything. However, when such a situation does arise, it will scare you. As I spotted a quick glimpse of a small Beowolf below, I heard a voice.

"Birdie! No!" I looked to my left to see something that should not be in my airspace: a human girl! She was flying (or maybe she was launched by something, I don't know) and we collided in midair, throwing off both of our trajectories.

We both dropped she was trying desperately to reach a red rifle she was holding, as though it were her only chance of surviving the fall. I hated to do this, but she had already seen me. I snapped open my wings again and pulled up just before we could hit the ground. And I stopped myself by back flipping off of a large oak.

That _THUMP_ I made when my feet touched the ground seemed to echo. That was the first step I ever took on planet Earth. I folded um my wings inside of my jacket. I looked at the girl who was still koala-hugging me, holding on for dear life. She had short, dark red hair, and she wore a black and red dress with a combat skirt. Around her shoulders was a red cape and hood. She was so adorable, cute in a childish way.

Looking down at me she jumped off with excitement.

"Oh my gosh! Oh my gosh! Oh my gosh!" she squealed quietly, "You're a Halcyon!" I immediately clapped my hand over her mouth, shushing her.

"Not a word, Red. You saw nothing." There was a growl in the woods and three Bewolves roared at us. Red reached for her hip only to find that her rifle was gone.

"Get behind me!" I said. As soon as she did, I snapped out my wings and spread them to full length. It was a natural defense mechanism that many birds use. The extra wingspan would make me seem much larger than I really was.

The lead Beowolf backed up slightly as it hesitated. I've never seen a Grimm in person before then, and frankly I thought they'd be a little smaller than what I had in front of me. It barked to its wingmen and all three growled, slowly approaching.

I chuckled, "I come down here and I'm presented with a challenge right off the bat. I like it. Red, don't move an inch and don't get in my way. I haven't tested these things out in battle yet." The gauntlets strapped onto my wrists and the blades positioned on my wrists. For safety's sake, the blades were dull. But their cutting power wouldn't come from the sharpness of the blades. The folding blades were a foot and ten inches each and were of a dark blue design. A lighter blue starlit edge rounded the darker blue middle. But the blades were on the back side of my hands. On each side was an axis that the blades hung to right now the blades had locked them in duel wield sword formation. It was one of three possible melee formations, one of which had them positioned like normal swords.

I took deep breath then powered up my aura. Sure enough, the edge of the blades glowed lightly with a yellow light and a faint buzzing sound could be heard.

I sighed with relief. "It works!" I think it's about time I told you just what these crystals do. Like I said before, they don't have a source of power of their own. In fact what they are meant to do, according to my studies, is turn another element into dust power without an element nature. And that element was none other than my own aura, a practically limitless supply of ammunition and sustainable energy (unlike those cheap dust crystals that burn out in time).My semblance with a similar link to the crystal had turned my own flight feathers and irises to the same exact material. This allowed me to supercharge my flight and sight alike.

I dug my blades into the ground in front of me and put myself in a runner's stance. "Let's go!" I howled as I pumped my wings and launched myself forward with my claws. I landed on the chest of a Beowolf and cross sliced at its neck. Blood splattered and the Grimm fell I leapt back to avoid a swipe from the largest of the group.

I slammed my gauntlets together and the right blade switched to the axis of the left gauntlet. The blades switched to the sides of my hands, one by my thumb and one by my pinky, and they formed a bow without a string. I pulled back as an arrow appeared, made of the same energy type.

"Heads up!" I fired the shot into the back of the alpha male's neck. It collapsed with a roar of pain. The smallest of the group, no more than a pup looked to me as I aimed my bow at it, then it quickly yelped, running away into the bushes with its tail between its legs. Either it would warn the rest of the pack to run or it would call for help. Either one was fine with me. I looked up in the tree above me to see Red's rifle on some of the tree branches, so I used my claws to climb up and drop it down to her.

"Thanks!" she said as I slid down the tree, "I'm Ruby. Sorry about running into you like that! Are you in the Beacon entrance exam?"

I shook my head, "My name's Nimbus. Shouldn't you get going? I mean…your exam and all."

She gasped, "I forgot! Gotta find Yang! Gotta find Yang! Gotta find Yang! Bye!" In the blink of an eye, she had dashed off to the north, leaving a trail of rose petals behind her. It was a speed semblance no doubt.

But it made me wonder; what was Beacon?

.

(At the Launch site)

Glynda Goodwitch looked at her tablet in surprise. Very little could surprise her.

"Professor Ozpin. Did you see that?"

The grey haired man took a sip of his coffee and looked, "What seems to be the trouble?"

"It appears that we have an out of protocol interference with one of our students, Ruby Rose. Look." She rewound the video and watched as Ruby collided with an airborne Faunus.

Ozpin pushed up his glasses, "So the legends of the Halcyon were true then. Follow them and we'll see what happens." The video resumed to show the Faunus wiping out two Beowolves in a matter of seconds, saving the young huntress.

"Should I put this in the report?" Glynda asked typing.

"No. Let Ruby go on her way. I'd like to have a word with this boy. Have a mobile unit track her movements and grade his actions as you would one of our students. I'll give further instructions. He might become an important asset to us."

"Ozpin, we took a huge step in adding Miss Rose to our student body. Are you sure that adding this boy will be a good idea?"

Ozpin nodded in response, "It isn't often that you come across someone of his breed."

.

(Back in the forest)

_SHING!_

I began bushwhacking my way through the forest. I had stopped for a moment as I held a cut piece of the Beowolf's mask in my hand. Although it is true that Grimm dissolve when killed, parts that you cut away _before _you kill them don't. So whenever you see a Grimm trophy hung on a wall, it might not be a fake. I had measured it and carved out into a mask that covered my eyes.

I had planned to do this for years since my father died. With this in mind I placed the mask over my eyes. I ran on for a little while until I knew I was safe and out of her sight. After a little while I came to a clearing. A screech filled the air and I saw a shadow flying high above the forest. It was a giant Nevermore!

A Beowolf leapt out of the bushes catching me off guard. But I was saved by a flash of pink.

"KA-POW!" a girl hollered as the Grimm was sent flying through three trees before landing in its place of final rest. This girl had orange hair close to mine, sky blue eyes, and a white and pink combat dress on. She looked much more of a tomboy than Ruby. But she had a crazy energetic expression on her face, as thought she was having the time of her life. In her hands was a large silver hammer that changed into a grenade launcher.

"Aw, you're not Ren", she moaned disappointedly, "Have you seen a guy with black hair dressed in green around here?" I was kind of speechless by that display of brute strength. But I shook it off.

"Can't say I have. Sorry."

She jumped up into the trees making a sound which sounded like the call of a sloth. I could tell that she was also part of the Beacon entrance exam. A giant feather shot down from the sky, impaling the ground in front of me. I quickly ran for the cover of the woods as the Nevermore flew above me. It must have heard the hammer girl and followed the sound. Thankfully it left me alone after a minute.

About ten minutes later I heard gunshots, lots of them. I had come to a clearing and saw some ancient ruins. An epic battle was transpiring. Eight people in groups of four were battling the Nevermore and the biggest Deathstalker I've ever seen. Ruby and three other girls were battling atop a ruined tower with the bird, while the hammer girl was battling alongside another girl and two guys against the Deathstalker.

The boy with the shield analyzed the scorpion and called out orders to the others between strikes. The hammer girl was flung up into the air and slammed her hammer down on the stinger, nailing it into the Grimm's head. The bridge collapsed and the Deathstalker went down with it. The four hunters and huntresses were safe on solid ground.

I then watched as the other four lured the Nevermore into the cliff face. A girl in white froze the Grimm's tail in place as it tried to escape. She dashed back just in time to see a girl in black and another in yellow make a giant slingshot out of a large band and two pillars. It caught Ruby and the girl in white held her in place with a black glyph. They spoke for a moment and the glyph turned red, launching Ruby into the air. Her rifle changed into a massive scythe which propelled her forward further (coolest weapon I've ever seen besides Pluto by the way). She stuck to a line of white glyphs running up the side of the cliff and dragged the Nevermore by the neck.

All went well, until she stopped about ten feet up. The Nevermore's tail was still trapped in the ice below! The Grimm attempted to whip its head around to grab Ruby. She held strong, trying to keep it from moving, but she wouldn't last long. Thinking fast, I whipped out Pluto in bow form and charged up a shot.

"EVERYBODY DUCK!" I roared. All looked to me in surprise and dodged out of the way as an arrow zipped past them. The force of the arrow's flight tore up the ground as it passed. The arrow made its mark on the tip of the ice, breaking its grip on the Nevermore.

"Now Ruby!" I called. Ruby zipped up the cliff building momentum and the Nevermore's head came off as she slammed it against the cliff. All looked to Ruby in an overwhelming silence. It was over. The wind blew and rose petals rolled off of Ruby's cape. My respect for that young girl had skyrocketed.

She saw me in the distance and waved to me, "Thank you!" I heard faintly.

I looked to see that I had dark, starlit feathers blowing in the wind too, just like Ruby's petals. They were rolling from the long coat I wore of the same color. I'm pretty certain that this is a physical manifestation of one's aura. Everyone had something like it. But I saluted them all and dashed into the woods.

_So this is the life of a Huntsman. I love it!_

.

(End of Chapter 1)

HEY EVERYBODY! Beowulf here, not _BeoWOLF, _mind you.

I've been stocking this story away for some editing. I've been having a hard time deciding whether or not I should make Nimbus a boy or a girl (in which case I would have named her Arora Altos) but don't tell him I said that.

I'm going to come clean and say that I am a HUGE RWBY fan. Good job out there Monty!

But heads up, this story will be told from the first person perspectives of two different OC's! The second will come in some time later.

For now watch the as the second wing of Remnant makes his impact!

Beowulf out!


	2. Chapter 2: Welcome to Beacon

Chapter 2: Welcome to Beacon

(A week later)

I had done a lot of traveling since I've landed in Vale. So far, I haven't revealed my identity to anyone else. I learned that Grimm actually had a lot of value and a Huntsman can sell for a profit. There was a high demand for Ursa masks. The stuff was essentially ivory and was referred to in the market as "white gold". Those snake Grimm (I forgot what they were called) are wanted for their skin and fangs, and their poison can be used in medicine. It's extremely difficult to snag some without getting yourself or the Grimm killed. If you killed the Grimm before you could collect the desire part, it would dissolve along with the rest of the Grimm. That was the tricky bit. But the best part was that there was no limit to how many you could kill because they littered the woods. I had spent the past week killing Grimm and I made a decent profit from it.

Tonight I was in a dance club that had just reopened after a freak accident. I loved the atmosphere here. I took a seat and ordered a drink.

"You're a little underage", he grunted.

"Oh, no, no, no. I don't really like the taste of alcohol, it's always too bitter for my tastes. I'm thinking a Dr. Piper, if you don't mind."

The man (Junior, as his name tag said) smiled and slid me a glass bottle containing my favorite soda. Stratos has nothing like this. And I loved the music played here. The one playing right now was called "Red like Roses", and I couldn't help but sing along quietly. Junior's eyes followed someone behind me as I sang quietly.

"Quite the songbird aren't you?" a man's voice said to me.

"Nothing like a lively beat to calm your nerves", I agreed happily.

"I can imagine that someone such as yourself would have a stressful time in the field. Isn't that right, Nimbus Altos of the Halcyons?" I snapped open Pluto in Sword form whirling around. My blade was at the throat of a grey haired man with a pair of glasses, a black coat, and a green scarf probobly in his mid forties. A cane was in his right hand. A kind but serious look crossed his face. What caught me by surprise was the fact that he didn't even flinch.

"How do you know who I am?" I hissed quietly.

"I've kept my eyes on you ever since you met Ruby during the entrance exam. I knew from the start. And you should always know that my colleague, Port, has a knack for telling stories."

I gritted my teeth. Port was the name of that guy I sold an Ursa mask to not long ago. He claimed to be a Huntsman back in the day. I took the blade away from his throat and folded them up.

"Sorry. We Halcyons have a knack for trying to stay under the radar. I didn't catch your name, sir." I took a sip of my drink.

"Right, introduction. My name is Professor Ozpin, headmaster of Beacon." I coughed in surprise as my soda almost went down the wrong way.

When I regained my bearings I said, "_That_ Beacon? The one that Ruby was taking the exam for?"

"The same. We exist to train the next generation of Huntsmen and Huntresses. Typically I find my students in training schools like Signal. But there are a few exceptions. Take Ruby for example. She skipped two years of training to come here. Then there was Blake Belladonna who was completely self-taught. As far as I've researched, you haven't appeared on any school database in Vale, or any kingdom for that matter."

"I learned from watching others. My home world has its own huntsmen training program, but I was never allowed to join due to…..semblance complications. Only recently did I discover mine. So I figured I'd make a living down here, where my kind rarely ever goes."

"Nimbus, I'm here to make a request. I want you to join us a Beacon."

I was stunned. From what I've heard, humans and Faunus typically didn't get along in such a way.

"While you were in the Emerald Forest, I had cameras watching your every move, just like I did for all of the other students. I saw what you are capable of. You can take out large Grimm quickly and I doubt that even Pyrah Nikos could have made the shot you did. And I can assure you that we do have plenty of Faunus within the student body."

I immediately stood up and said, "I accept!"

.

(Beacon Academy)

I looked out of the airship that transported me to Beacon from the city. The campus was far below me and the students looked up at the incoming transport.

"It's beautiful", I said excitedly.

"I knew you'd like it. If you ever decide that you're ready, the area will be considered open airspace for you."

"All in good time Oz. I plan to make friends before I show my species. I want to make a good impression." A few of the students walked out to the transport, so as to see who was new here.

"Here at Beacon we pair up our students into groups of four. And this year we had a perfect class size for everyone to have a team. That was before you came. So unfortunately you won't be having a single team. Rather I'll have you pair up with multiple teams from time to time."

"I see." The doors opened and the setting of Beacon Academy was laid out before me. I stepped out with a sense of excitement, like stepping into a stadium for a concert. Some people muttered upon seeing me.

"Sweet! New guy!" someone said. I looked around to see that there were in fact, many Faunus around here too. Of course I had never seen any Faunus breed other than other Halcyons before. It was a rather strange experience, but a cool one too. We walked until we were in the dorms. Mine seemed to be a little empty with only me inhabiting it, but that would give me plenty of room for my personal belongings.

"If we ever happen to find any new students, they'll join your team", Ozpin assured me, "Go on ahead and make yourself comfortable. If you have any questions come see me in my office in the clock tower."

"Will do Professor!" I saluted him casually.

He turned to leave but turned back and shook my hand, "And Nimbus, welcome to Beacon." And with that, he left. The Wizard of Oz was really starting to grow on me in a good way. I was looking forward to having him as a teacher.

During my first day at Beacon, I stayed under the radar. I had just picked up my school uniform. I had mine specially made so my coat was long, like the one I wore in battle. It was a design that was rarely ever used, but it was acceptable by school policy. Apart from that nothing else happened other than my tour of the campus, and I saw not a sign of Ruby and her team. I would have loved to meet them then.

Night had fallen over Beacon Academy and many of the students had went to bed early, with the exception of a few Faunus, me included.

I ran to the edge of the cliff overlooking the valley below. It was all beautifully lit under the light of a full shattered moon moon. Even if the moonlight wasn't there, I could see perfectly at night, like all Faunus. While in motion I dove over the edge with my spread wings and I took flight for the first time in the past week. Having to hide my wings like this was making me fell like a bird in a cage. That night-time breeze swept me up in its embrace and carried me back to the top of the Beacon clock tower at the center of campus and I perched on the steeple on top.

Only one person had seen me do this. Down in the court yard was a girl with brown hair and a pair of bunny ears. I believe her name was Velvet. She waved to me excitedly and I waved back in my signature two finger wave, then I put my fingers to my lips, silently saying, "Don't tell." I knew that she would respect the wish of a fellow Faunus, and she did.

Grimm howled in the far distance. They kept their distance from the school, knowing that intrusion would lead to certain death.

A mechanical roar filled the air as a small transport dropped off four students at the gates of the school. Sure enough, it was Ruby's team. It was the same group of girls who helped her kill the Nevermore, not long ago.

I saw a petite girl in high heeled combat boots, with a snow white dress with a combat skirt. Her skin was light, flawless with the exception of that scar over her left eye. Her hair was just as white as her dress, and her eyes were icy blue. A rapier was sheathed at her hip. I couldn't help but think that she was pretty. There was a girl dressed in a black dress with a white shirt, a black bow on top of her head, and a sword sheathed at her hip. Her eyes were yellow and catlike, and her hair was black. She was very mysterious at a first glance. The final member of the group was my height exactly, probably my age too. She wore a short sleeved brown jacket with a white shirt underneath. She had a skirt the same color as her jacket which covered her backside like a short cape, and the pants beneath was short and black, leaving the rest of her long legs exposed. The jacket and shirt also failed to cover up her lower stomach, leaver her belly button exposed (perfect inner, by the way). She was very athletic with a perfect frame. Her eyes were violet. But her most outgoing feature of all was that hair of hers. It was down past her hips, was a bright, radiant yellow. Heck she almost seemed to glow like the sun! In a nutshell, she was drop dead gorgeous, a go-to girl. I saw how Ruby was limping a little.

"You okay Ruby?" the girl in white asked.

"She took a nasty hit from that Torch-what guy", the blonde said, "Of course she's hurt! Come on!" she grunted as she lifted Ruby onto her back.

"Thanks Yang", she said snuggling tight. Those two were sisters, I could see it clear as day. I smiled and put my mask over my eyes.

Spreading my wings I launched high above the school, arced over the team, then hid my wings as I fell down to the ground behind them. The girl with the bow in her hair whirled around first.

"Incoming!" she yelled as I zipped past them with a slice of my blades. "That mask!" she yelled getting her footing, "He's one of them!"

"Where is he?!" the girl in white looked around, "I can't see him!"

"Humans and your lousy eyesight", the girl in black muttered as she dashed forward towards me. Our swords locked.

I smiled, "A Faunus. I should have seen that coming. I'll make the game a little fairer." I activated my blades and the light produced illuminated my form.

"He's mine, Blake!" Yang yelled as she darted forward and Blake disappeared in a flicker of black. Yang struck my blades with enough force to push me back on the ground. But I held my stance.

"There's more to you than meets the eye, Goldie", I smirked as I dodged a fireball from her Gauntlets. We exchanged blows, not one met its mark.

"Step aside!" the girl in White jumped forward with her rapier. A series of white glyphs covered the area, illuminating the entire field. Now she had a clear view of me. She dashed back and forth on each glyph, making it very difficult to keep up.

But I started to play her game, launching off of her glyphs in the same manner. My friend up in Stratos had a glyph semblance too, and we sparred in the same way. After a few exchanges, we took to the ground and exchanged in close hand combat. She was fast in her strikes.

"Excellent!" I exclaimed, "You fight with an unparalleled elegance, little lady!"

"Don't you dare call me that you jerk!" she swiped at me making a slight cut in my mask.

"You don't let your temper hamper your strokes either. Impressive."

_BANG! _

The girl in white leapt away as Ruby jumped into combat with that giant scythe of hers.

"Ruby! No! Not in your condition!" Yang yelled.

"It's okay! I've got him!" She dashed forward and swung the scythe right at me. But she stuck it in the ground and landed a kick to my mask while twirling around on the scythe's handle like and acrobat! While I was still on the ground, the tip of the scythe was pointed at my neck. Ruby won!

"Woohoo!"Yang applauded, "That's my girl!"

I smiled and laughed. "Excellent job Ruby! You're a lot tougher than I let on!" I hid my blades and removed my mask. The scythe folded up.

"Nimbus! What are you doing here?!" she helped me up.

"You know him?!" Blake raised an eyebrow.

"He's the guy that saved us back in the Emerald Forest!" Ruby jumped up and down now facing them.

"Oh! You're that guy who sniped down the Nevermore ice trap from like a mile away!" Yang mimed a bow drawback.

"Err…two hundred and forty yards give or take", I shrugged, "Ruby. Would you mind?"

"Right. This is Weiss Schnee, Blake Belladonna, and my sister Yang. We make up team RWBY!" I chuckled a little at the acronym.

"Well, Blake, Yang, and Weiss," I extended my blades in bow form and held it out to the side as I bowed, "my name is Nimbus Altos. Pleasure to meet you all! I suppose that The Wizard of Oz didn't give you guys the memo. I kind of fell smack dab in the middle of your exam and Ozpin saw my talents and graded me as he would a student. After watching me for a little while, he enrolled me at the academy."

"Ooh! Just like me!" Ruby almost squeaked in excitement.

"I'm sorry about startling you girls. But I saw your performance by the ruins. I wanted to have a taste of it myself. I was genuinely impressed."

"Well you gave us a bit of a scare", Blake said, "That mask of yours looked like that of the White Fang."

"What's the White Fang?" I asked out of genuine curiosity. The others went silent for a moment.

"You're kidding right?" Weiss asked, "You've never heard of the White Fang?" I silently shook my head.

"Have you seriously been living in a cave for the past few years?" Blake asked bluntly. So they told me about the once peaceful Faunus rights group who turned violent.

I whistled in surprise, "I'm not exactly accustomed to those kinds of racial views. I came from a place that's a little isolated from the kingdoms of Remnant. It's called the island of Stratos. It's a place with its own Huntsman program and it's a place where humans and Faunus get along without a hitch." I lied about that last part. I looked down to the mask in hand, "I just wear the mask of the Grimm for sentimental reasons."

"Well, say no more!" Yang came out of nowhere and hooked her arm around mine, "We're taking you home tonight to talk a little more, Nimbus!"

I blushed. I would be the guy that she tugs along. Just my luck.

(End of Chapter 2)

.

HEY HEY HEY! Beowulf is back!

I would like to begin with a note that I forgot to mention in Chapter 1. You all remember this as the battle in episode 8, Players and Pieces. While that battle was incredible, I did notice one fatal flaw that Monty didn't account for: the Nevermore's tail (still trapped in ice) should have prevented Ruby from carrying it up the cliff face! Sorry to point that out Monty. But it provided a perfect point to introduce Nimbus to the game! So I suppose that it served a great purpose!

Back to the present chapter, I now have a new issue on hand: pairings!

Considering that most of the RWBY cast are girls, Nimbus is open to several possibilities! I hate to say it but Ruby is off the list. I mean, she is almost Hinata-blush adorable, I'll admit it, but Nimbus is 18 and Ruby is 15. A high school freshman and a college freshman. Not going to work. I need responses from you people!

I know that you guys are still waiting for the second OC narrator. Don't worry he'll be there and he'll be ready for a smack down unlike anything ever seen before in the world of Remnant! I will be putting a very new spin on the ball game!

Ultimately, I will be pulling out all the stops and making this story awesome!

Peace out for now! Beowulf Out!


	3. Chapter 3: The First Day of School

Chapter 3: The First Day of School

It was Friday morning and today would be my first real day of class with a weekend to follow immediately after. Our first class was with a very familiar figure.

"Alright everybody take your seats! Cardin! Please settle down. Ooh! Mr. Altos! What a surprise!" It was Mr. Port, I mentioned him earlier.

"First off, before we begin class today, I would like to have Mr. Altos to step forward." I looked around then stepped forward to the front of the class.

"I would like you all to say hello to Nimbus Altos, the latest addition to Beacon. I'm certain you have all heard of the incident in Emerald Forest." The other student mumbled to themselves. "Professor Ozpin has made an exception in having Nimbus as an assisting huntsman, and he will be pairing up with different teams at a time. So I hope that you will all give him a warm welcome!" The students applauded and I sat back down. I took a seat in between teams JNPR and RWBY. Velvet's team sat behind me and she waved to me silently. I nodded with a smile in a silent greeting.

So Port began in his description of newly discovered Grimm, one of which was called a Sickler, a giant breed that resembled a praying mantis. I began taking notes vigorously, excited by this knowledge that I craved. Strangely enough, not many of the students seemed excited about this class. some people looked surprised as I copied the notes precisely and even added a few descriptive illustrations. Cardin's team talked among themselves, throwing glances at me every so often. I knew that they were bad news. But I stayed on task.

The bell rang right before Port could reach the exciting part of one of his stories. As I left the classroom last, Port stopped me.

"It's not all too often that I have a student that interested in my studies. But tell me, how does a Halcyon find his way into a place like this?" I turned to face him.

"I guess that Oz spilled the beans to you", I chuckled, "I've lived isolated from Remnant for years. I mean, sure it's peaceful, but I wanted some adventure in my life. And I...have a personal vendetta against the creatures of Grimm. Look, I have another hour till my next class. How about i sit down and tell you a story, Teach?"

"Of course!" We both sat down and I cleared my throat.

I began, "There was a Halcyon hero named Boreas, the North Wind. He was there in every fight against the Grimm and he would always come out unscathed." I went on to describe the feats of Boreas in great detail, "But then one day, almost thirteen years ago, just as he was leaving the empty battlefield, a monster emerged from the mountainside. It was a giant Nevermore, three or for times the size of the one in Emerald Forest! This battle with the fabled Nevermore, Insomnia, would be Boreas' last. Insomnia escaped, but not before, Boreas could tear away part of the beast's mask with his bare hands." Port was still paying close attention to my tale.

"But what does that make you?" Port asked me.

I smiled as I responded, "Boreas was my inspiration. He's part of the reason that I want to fight the Grimm. I dream of one day hunting down Insomnia and slaying the beast."

I looked at my watch, "I think it's best that I get going. I need to get to lunch!" I turned to leave.

"And Nimbus", Port said before I left, "If you have any more stories to tell, I would love to hear them any time."

.

Lunch period here was something else. You'd think that all of this food would be set for a king and queen. All of the teams sat together. But of course I didn't have a team so I sat down beside team RWBY. Further down, the hammer girl from the forest (I learned that her name was Nora) waved at me excitedly. I couldn't help but laugh at her antics as she tossed peas into Yang's mouth with pinpoint accuracy. Across the table, I could see Cardin's team pestering Velvet.

I formed a ball of Stardust energy in my right hand and lobbed it over to Cardin's head. _POP!_ It exploded in his face and he fell backwards trying to get away. I covered my mouth as I tried to hide my laugh, but RWBY didn't even try to hold it in. Even Blake cracked a smile. Cardin walked way with a headache.

But we stopped as the roar of engines filled the air. Outside, a magnificent transport ship came out from behind the cliff side, circling the school once before steering back to the docking bay. All of the students chattered in excitement. Ozpin stepped out to the now open door and smiled.

"She's here early", was ll that he said before he personally walked out to the transport. Blake's eyes widened as the crown and chain insignia on the side of the ship came into view.

"That's a Mistralian Royal Transport!" she gasped. The other students cheered upon hearing this and flooded out of the cafeteria. I just barely avoided the stampede.

"Weiss, do you mind telling me what's going on?" I said coming out from behind the door.

"I don't know for certain, but i think we might be getting a new student!" she smiled.

.

(Valentine)

I looked out the window of the transport with a sense of wonder. I've never left the boarders of Mistral before, and it felt weird just going to a distant kingdom like this. I told my father about my dream of becoming a huntress and he knew that I wouldn't take no for an answer. Not this time. And with the recent attacks by the White Fang, my father and mother found it best to send me out of the kingdom to a foreign school for safety's sake. The entire court had come to see me off and I knew I would miss them dearly.

Now here I was, descending on Beacon Academy, one of the best training schools in Remnant. My parents knew I would be safe here, as did I. I saw a man in a black suit waiting for us at the docking bay. I saw him talking to my father through the communications terminal. He was a little taller than I pictured him.

"You're not getting nervous now are you?" my father's hand was on my shoulder.

"Who wouldn't be?" I replied, "I mean, this is it! The big league! And...oh." I paused as I saw a crowd of students running to the dock, probably the entire student body.

"Father, before I go, please stay in one piece until I get back." He knelt down beside me and ran his fingers through my hair.

"Val, we're not just sending you here as a precaution. You wanted to become a Huntress and this is the ideal place to do just that! But I promise you that we will be safe. The Fang isn't going to get to us easily."

"Thank you", I said as we landed and the door opened. There stood Professor Ozpin.

"I was expecting you to be here within the week. I didn't think you'd come here in less than a day Sir Gregory."

"I am so thankful that you were able to help us. Now we know that Val can train in good hands", Father shook his hand with gratitude.

"So you must be Princess Valentine", Ozpin said turning to me, bowing for a moment, "It's an honor to have you join us."

I bowed myself, "No, the pleasure is all mine, Professor. This really means a lot to me."

Ozpin motioned to the school as a cart came out of the ship with my luggage. I looked to the crowd and they cheered. I got countless waves and blown kisses and I was rather flattered by this.

I turned back to my father and embraced him in one last hug, "I'll be sure to contact you as often as I can."

"So long as you do, I will too", he said as he walked away. The transport closed and my father, King Gregory Vance of Mistral, returned home. The students parted and a path to the school was cleared.

"Fellow huntsmen and huntresses. Today, we have the rare opportunity to welcome a very special guest, Princess Valentine Vance of Mistral." The students cheered but were silenced when Ozpin raised his hand, "Now I understand that many of you would wish to meet her personally and you'll get your chance. But I also want to inform you that she is also a classmate, an ally in good times and bad, just in the same way you see your fellow students. For now please go about as you were, while the staff gets Miss Valentine situated to her new environment. Afterwards you will have your chance to speak with her and become further acquainted. Students you are dismissed." And thus the students departed.

.

The students finished up lunch as Ozpin and I toured the campus. I backtracked to the arena where two students were sparring. One was a guy with blonde hair and a white sword and shield. The other was a girl with red hair and an orange and red colored sword and shield.

"Is that Pyrrha Nikos?"

Ozpin nodded, "She's been undefeated in the ring thus far."

I was at the tournament last year when she was crowned champion. She was always something of a role model to me.

Our last stop before the dorms was the library. An ideal place to study. But today someone was being a little louder than necessary.

"TRAP CARD!" a girl with long hair slammed a card down on a table as they played Wrisk. The other girl leaned against the back of the chair with tears rolling in a comical manner. I recognized that girl in red from the crowd earlier. I'm pretty sure I saw her balancing on the handle of a large scythe to see me from the back of the crowd. But she appeared to be only fifteen, two entire years younger than all of the other students. Ozpin must have seen something special in her.

Her blonde sister was the only one who noticed me and she waved excitedly. I waved back silently.

Our last stop was the dorms. It wasn't quite as elaborate as it was back home, but it would most certainly do.

"Now, considering that we had an unusual number of students this year, so we don't exactly have a team of four for you yet. But we do have one other student who came in yesterday. So you'll be a part of his team." we walked over to room 316 and Ozpin knocked on the door. _BONK! _Someone inside hit his head.

"Pardon the intrusion", Ozpin peaked inside, "I need to speak with you."

"Give me twenty seconds Oz", someone inside opened a window, "I'm about to finish dusting in here. I don't want you swept up with it!"

Ozpin quickly closed the door. "What was all that about?" I questioned.

"Your roommate has proven to have a dangerously effective way of sweeping out his room. You might want to keep all papers in a safe place when he starts to clean."

A blast of wind shot out from beneath the door and a howling wind blew inside of the dorm. My robe rustled in the breeze. Twenty seconds later there was a light _THOMP_ as the air was blasted out the window.

"Woo! That worked perfectly! Okay Oz, come in!"

Ozpin opened the door to reveal a perfectly swept room. There was a guy putting on a long coat with a starry night sky design. He was busy with his head in a foot locker underneath his bed.

"Good news, Mr. Altos. We've found your first team mate."

"Sweet!" he said, "So will he be coming in a couple of days. I might need time to prepare the room."

"A little late for preparations. I'm already here", I spoke up. He stopped.

"But that means...WHAT?!" he got his head out of the locker and whirled around to face us.

He seemed a little bit overwhelmed to see me. But then again I was a little overwhelmed myself. Something about him was just...unusual, but in all the right ways. His appearance wasn't that of any kingdom of Remnant. Maybe he was from an island off the coastline.

His hair was a little long and sunset orange-gold. and his skin was tanned. He was taller than me by maybe three inches. But what caught me off guard was his eyes. His irises were the same night blue that his coat was and his eyes even had star and galaxy formations that lit up in color.

"I'd like to introduce to you your new team mate, Nimbus Altos", Ozpin told me, then to the other, "Nimbus, I'm pleased to introduce you to Princess Valentine Vance of Mistral.

Nimbus pulled himself together and smiled, but he failed to hide his blush, "Well, welcome your Highness! Go ahead and make yourself at home."

I giggled a little as Ozpin left and I brought in my bags, "The Professor said that royalty is not a factor around here now and I thoroughly agree with him. As of now, you and I are equals, team mates. So just be yourself. Okay?"

He sighed with relief and flopped back on the bed, "Good. I'm not used to being so formal. Can I call you Val?"

Val. I haven't been called by that nickname since my brother left to hunt the Grimm. "Absolutely", I nodded. I was very happy with my new team mate, my partner.

I could tell that the feeling was mutual.

.

(End of Chapter 3)

.

Beowulf is back!

Okay, I've come to an important decision. This story won't have 2 OC's there will be **4!** So I will be altering the story summary soon. But the story mainly focuses on the struggle between Nimbus and another OC which I've mentioned before but still have yet to include.

I also want to point out that each of the characters will be a part of one of the four races that have appeared in the world of RWBY. Obviously the first two are Faunus and human. I will try to bring the next OC in during the next chapter.

Other than that I've got nothing else to say. Please, follow, favorite, and review if you feel like it. Remember, reviews and PM's aren't expected, but always appreciated! I would love to hear your feedback!

Beowulf Out!


	4. Chapter 4: Tutoring

Chapter 4: Tutoring

(Nimbus)

This was an unexpected surprise. I had expected my first team mate to come in maybe a few months or so, but she came the day after I arrived. And she was none other than the renowned Princess Valentine Vance!

During my week and a half on Earth, I've done my research on the kingdoms and who was ruling each. So I was very familiar with the royal family of Mistral.

Valentine Vance was seventeen, going on eighteen next month, and was the daughter of King Gregory Vance of Mistral. She was three inches shorter than me and had long wavy brown hair with a slight reddish tint, and it was almost as long as Yang's. She was moderately curved, not over the top, but just right (something I like to call the Goldie locks zone) and she was very athletic. And her eyes were a radiant shade of blue.

When in public she typically dressed up in a Fancy manner. Now that she was here at beacon, she had changed into a much more casual dress code, wearing a pair of long black pants with tennis shoes. She wore a gold colored shirt with the family's royal insignia. Finally her most outgoing article of clothing was that hooded robe/cape. It was similar to the one Ruby wore, only this one was longer, almost touching the ground, and it went over her shoulders. The robe was colored royal purple with an insignia of four daggers connected by a ring of chains.

Simply put, Valentine was a sight to behold and I was lucky to have her as a team mate.

So we spent the day walking around the school. Occasionally someone would join us and ask Val for an autograph. But we stopped when she accidentally backed into Weiss Schnee.

"Watch where you're going!" she complained getting up on her own. Poor Val was on the ground dizzy.

"Oh my Gosh! I'm so sorry!" she said helping her up.

Val and Weiss walked away soon after, talking politics and I was left alone.

"Lucky you", a voice said behind me. I turned around to see the leader of Team JNPR, Jaune Arc, leaning against a column staring at the girls as they left.

"Well, come on!" he nudged me with his elbow in a joking voice, "What's she like?"

"She's...actually really casual about coming here. I can't see a hint of nervousness in her", I replied.

"That's exactly how Weiss was back when she first came in!" Jaune said and I found myself walking to the edge of the campus with him.

"Okay, I have to know. How the heck did you manage to make that shot back in the entrance exams?"

"Um...I used my aura of course. How else could I have done that?" I answered.

"Oh, right of course", Jaune said nervously.

I narrowed my eyes, "You don't even know how to use your own aura yet, do you?"

"Aw come on! How do you know that?!" he said and I rolled my eyes.

"Fine then, tell me what you do know about using it."

"Well I know it can be used to protect you like a shield and that you can bear it as an outward force."

"Then you my friend have a long way to go", I grabbed his wrist and tugged him along to an overlook.

"Look. Before you can even think about using your own aura, you have to find it first. You have to identify and locate what you control."

"And how am I supposed to do that? I mean, I've felt it before but finding it is something completely different", he complained.

"Then tell me this. What do you picture your aura as?" I retorted. That made Jaune sit down cross-legged and put his hand on his chin.

"I always thought of it as a flame, one that completely surrounds me but has immense strength and holds me together."

"No, no, no, no", I interrupted, "You are thinking on a physical level Jaune! Heck aura defies physics in countless ways. Aura literally exists on a spiritual and mental level. And you are looking for your aura in the wrong place!"

"But I thought that-."

"Forget everything that you personally thought about aura, I'm about to give you a crash course, Stratos style. To begin, yes, aura does hold us together, but it isn't some outward force that keeps you in and compresses you. It's the complete opposite! It completely encompasses your entire being, like the blood in your veins. What's more is that _you _are the one compressing it. Your aura is more like water vapor inside of a water heater. It will search for every possible way to let itself out. And regardless of whether it is in or outside of yourself you can freely manipulate it. Now, do as I do."

I stood up straight and took in a deep breath. There was silence. "Remember, the aura that you possess is in every nook and cranny of you physical being; it is the very thing that gives us life. So naturally the place you should reach for it", I put my hand over my chest, "is the heart."

"How will I know when I have it?"

"Trust me, you will know."

"Alright. Deep breath, reach for the heart, silence." He closed his eyes and stood there quietly. All was silent for over a minute.

Suddenly his eyes opened and his entire body shivered, "Yep. definitely found it!"

"There we go. Tell me, what did it feel like when you found it?" I questioned.

"Well...you know what I feels like whenever you shiver. I felt something like that, but it just...rippled out, like ripples in a pond."

"BINGO!" I exclaimed, "That is exactly what I wanted to hear! But you merely touched your aura. Now try and compress it in...let's say your left hand. Get out your shield. Remember that your tools are literally conduits for your aura. Your aura is capable of flowing through your weapon like it's a part of yourself."

Jaune's eyes widened and he whipped out his shield, "It's like putting in a light bulb!"

"Well that's one way of putting it. Now use your aura to enhance your tool in what it was designed for. Make your shield stronger!" I drew my bow and charged up a shot, "I won't be going easy on you."

Jaune was alarmed at first, but then he nodded to himself and put his shield in between us.

"Alright! Here it goes!" His shield glowed gold and the ground rumbled slightly.

I wavered for a moment letting my arrow disperse, but redrew my bow and prepared to fire. I barely pulled the bow back when Jaune burst forward, shield first leaving a golden contrail behind him.

I had made a critical mistake. Jaune hit me and we both went over the edge of the cliff! But the cliff wasn't even on my mind. Jaun had packed the force of an on coming bus in that strike!

"No! No! No!" Jaune yelled as we both fell into the valley below. I doubted that his shield would protect him from impact. I had no choice.

"Hold on Jaune!" I yelled to him as I snapped open my wings, guiding myself over to him. I reached out and he grabbed my right wrist and held to him in the same way. We pulled up and began making our way back to the top.

"Nimbus! Areal attack!" Jaune warned and I looked up to see part of the cliff face coming down on top of us. With Jaune on board there was no time to dodge!

"Jaune! Do it!" I yelled to him. working in sync, I held him up and he activated his shield.

The shield stopped the boulder but Jaune was struggling to hold it. I quickly flipped out my bow.

"Hold on man, just a second longer!" I said as I pulled back the bow. Because my hands were full, I had to use my teeth for the initial drawback.

"NOW!" I commanded letting the arrow go, channeling all of my extra aura into the crystal feathers on my wings. Jaune put out one more smaller burst from his shield. The combined force shattered the boulder above our heads and we shot back up to the top of the cliff and we both tumbled to a stop beyond the cliff face.

We were safe.

Jaune just laid there on the ground silent, I couldn't see if his eyes were open or not.

"You okay over there Arc?" I coughed.

A short silence came before he snapped up right, "That was totally awesome! Did you see that thing I did with the shield dash?! I was like _ZOOM! _Then...oh."

He said that last part as he looked back to me trying to get up again. My wings flapped as I re-positioned myself.

I chuckled, "That certainly wasn't one of my best landings." I stretched my arms and tried to put away my wings. But Jaune reached forward and grabbed one.

"Whoa", he muttered as he looked at my true form, "You're a...Faunus."

"I prefer the term Halcyon", I brushed off my coat.

"So all the legends from the war, they were true!"

"It needs to stay as what you thought they were before, legends. You weren't supposed to see that."

Jaune quickly raised his right hand, "I promise not to tell anyone! You have my word!"

"I believe you", I nodded, "Now about what you did to send us over the edge?" As I said this I looked at the place where Jaune had done his dash. The grass in that area was almost uprooted from the force of it. But I saw that Jaune didn't exactly dash, he launched forward without taking any other steps. That one leap took him fifteen feet to my position and another seven over the edge of the cliff!

"I don't know. I mean, my body just acted on instinct, telling me to make the first strike. Then all that aura went to my feet. I didn't think that a little aura would do this."

"Under normal circumstances this couldn't have happened, you're right. There was only one thing I didn't account for. You have a guarding semblance, which automatically boosts your defensive capabilities. That alongside your dash created a move that I've only seen used once before, the Golden Comet!"

Jaune quickly looked around and used the Comet to smash a boulder fifteen feet away. _BOOM! _The rock was split down the middle. "This is unreal!" he said looking at his glowing shield.

"It may be powerful but you're also putting too much power into this. It's important to learn restraint so you don't overexert yourself." His watch beeped.

"Oh shoot!" I'm supposed to be practicing with Pyrrha right now!" Jaune turned to leave, but stopped to face me again. "Thanks Nimbus, I owe you one. No matter what happens you have the support of Team JNPR."

With that he pointed his sword in the air and I met it with one of mine. First a high strike, then a low. Then I scissor cut at his blade, then we both drew back, spun once and he put his shield forward and it with a fist bump with Pluto in bow form. "Alright!" we both said at once. This would become our routine "hand shake" in due time. But as we both ran back for the Academy, I knew that this had become a benchmark moment for me. Jaune and I would be the best of friends, and partners from different teams.

.

(Arcee)

_STARTING UP LANGUAGE PACKAGE. MEMORY RESERVES SECURE. COMMENCE COMMUNICATION._

I find it rather unusual that I'm telling my story now. Then again, they say that the hardest and strangest part of telling a story is starting it. Perhaps it will become easier as I go along.

I opened my eyes again and the doctors backed away, giving me room to breathe. A man pushed his way to the front of the group, a man with blonde hair, an Atlesian dress code, and a pair of glasses. He was Victor "Gismo" Strauss. He was my father. Well, I guess "father might be an unusual word to use if you're like me.

Immediately following him was a man with black and grey hair and a white suit, and a girl with short orange hair wearing a black and green dress. They were James Ironwood and my "cousin", Penny.

"How did the operation go?" Dad asked the doctor. "It went even better than expected. I'm just glad that she was able to fit the criteria."

"Thank God!" he embraced me in a hug, "I was worried you wouldn't make it."

"Dad, I'm not one to break down easily. I'm just glad that you're here. "How about you Penny? I heard you got into a skirmish at the docks a week ago."

"I'd prefer if we don't talk about that right now. My father doesn't want me to spread details." Penny's father and mine were brothers and colleagues.

The building lurched slightly causing me to feel a little disoriented. "Dad, where are we?" I stood up.

"We're on a transport ship to have you jump into your next mission in Vale. It appears that there was a Grimm attack unlike anything ever seen before. We've lost contact with the target area and we have no idea how many casualties have been piled up. At the present, a student response team has been sent from Vale, but we're closer to the site. So we're having you go in as first response. Eliminate any and all Grimm on site and contact medical response with a report on the casualties. That's just the first part of the mission."

"What else is there?" I asked.

Dad hesitated for a moment, "I've made a difficult decision, but it's one that will be beneficial for all of us. We are sending you to group up with the response team and you'll be brought back to Beacon academy as a student."

"What's do difficult about that? I've been to school before", I was confused at first.

"Arcee, I won't be coming with you this time." I drooped a little. I went everywhere with Dad long before I had turned "sixteen", in regards to my physical state of maturity. Now a sudden change like this was huge.

"Arcee, you're becoming a woman now regardless of how you started life. You need to mature on your own for a little while with real friends. Professor Ozpin has made special arrangements to have you placed with a huntsman team. You'll grow beside them, and I know you'll make friends."

"He's right", Penny spoke up excitedly, "The people at Beacon are the coolest. Trust me, there is no doubt that you'll fit right in!"

"Gismo", Ironwood questioned, "Are you certain about this."

"I'm positive. Besides, we owe Ozpin a debt for what he's done for us. Arcee, go suit up and I'll be waiting for you at the docking bay."

"Right!" I got serious and dashed off to the fitting room. Lives were at stake. But hey, a synthian has to do what a synthian has to do.

(End of Chapter 4)

.

HEY EVERYBODY! Beowulf here!

I just had to get a chapter out because today is a very special milestone. It's my 18th Birthday!

Now for those of you reading Sink or Swim or LCJ, I'm kind of in a writer's block at the moment, so it might be a little while before another chapter is posted for either one.

Back to WOR. As promised, I've introduced my third OC. Like I said, each of my OC's will represent one of each race in RWBY. You know Nimbus and Val (Faunus and human). But Arcee has joined the fray and she is synthian, an artificial person who can generate an aura, just like Penny! But this wasn't the big spin I would put on the ballgame. That comes in the next chapter when things really get serious!

The world of Remnant will never be the same again.

But on that note, it's time to go. My last OC's itching to hit the pages!

Beowulf out!


	5. Chapter 5: Abomination

Chapter 5: Abomination

(Valentine)

It has been about three days at Beacon and I've already made a friend in Weiss. Her father's company has provided supplies for Mistral's military for years and we were on very good terms. It is the glue that has held Atlas and Mistral together for some time now. Today Weiss had challenged me to spar with her.

"Come on Valentine! You've been here for three days and you haven't even shown us your weapon!" Weiss urged me.

"Alright fine. But I'm warning you, it's going to be a little tricky to hold back."

"I'll be the one who decides when I can't handle a fight. Thank you very much", Weiss said as they took their places in the arena.

She drew her rapier and pointed at me in a fencer's stance, "I'd hurry up and make the first move before I do."

"Alright. I don't suppose you've ever heard people refer to me as the Maiden Knight before. Have you?" I said as I reached for my cape and threw it folded into the bleachers.

"Time's up your Highness!" Weiss smiled as she glyph dashed to me.

But now I was ready. I leaped to the side with high speeds and reached for the violet colored pole that was strapped to my back. I spun it around and it extended into a six foot long, double sided spear with golden double edged blades capping it off. Like all huntresses, I made this weapon myself. Its name is Merlin. It was based off a weapon design used by Mistralian flagmen and lancers. But I put a few personal touches into this thing that would make much more than meets the eye. It had a rather peculiar power source. Legends told of a dust crystal that would turn the energy of one's own aura into dust power. My father paid a fortune to get me the piece that I needed before I even had the chance to ask him.

Our blades collided and Weiss looked me over as she examined my weapon. I spun Merlin around and took the offensive as I started a long chain attack, not wasting any movement. Weiss was keeping up with my movements. I leaped back and continued the rapid paced strikes. I then activated the dust and watched as dust charges shot out of the blades every time I swiped at the "out of reach" Weiss.

She was caught off guard and was knocked back by one. But she instantly recovered and fired off a storm of red bolts with a single swipe of her hands. Her shots homed in on mine and canceled them out. While this was happening, she bounced back on a large white glyph and rocketed over to my location.

I stopped firing and slammed one of Merlin's points into the ground. I focused and easily pulled myself into a flip as Weiss sped by. She stuck to the wall with a black glyph and slashed at me. I twirled around on Merlin like a world-class acrobat, dodging strikes and throwing kicks at the hilt of her sword. I pulled my weapon out and leaped forward as Weiss and I traded places. Only this time, I was sticking to the wall without even so much as a glyph. Weiss raised an eyebrow but did not falter as we traded strikes again. I flipped back striking the ground, hitting the wall and back flipped across the entire arena! I stood Merlin upright before I could land, spun around the shaft twice, and then vaulted onto the tip of the blade where I stood for a moment.

All was silent and Weiss was completely at a loss for words for at least twenty seconds, then she asked, "How the heck did you do that?! How are you doing that?! You were hopping and dashing around like you weighed less than ten pounds!"

"That's because I was ten pounds. I have a gravity semblance. That means that I can control where I'm being pulled to", I suddenly flew towards the wall and landed on my feet, "And how strong the pull is." Upon saying that I drifted away from the wall like I was in space! "Oh no! I'm floating away! Weiss! Help!" I began to rise slightly.

"Hold on!" Weiss said as she glyph jumped to me and grabbed hold, only to find that she had gone zero-g herself! "No, no, no, no!" she said trying to grab hold of me again.

"I'm just messing with you Weiss!" I laughed, rolling into a slow back flip, "I can do the same thing to almost anything or anyone that I touch. But the effect wears off after six seconds, so brace yourself!" I flipped around in midair and drifted back and stuck to Weiss, back to back. "There we go. You're safe now Miss Schnee."

"Wait just a minute!" Weiss said as she pushed me away and I came back to her automatically, "I see now! You made my own gravitational pull stronger on you! You basically just landed on me!" Weiss giggled then laughed, I followed suit.

"You know what Valentine, you would have made an awesome sister. I'm officially jealous of you!" Weiss joked around at the last part.

"Well, zero gravity has its perks. It makes sleeping a very blissful experience indeed. You know what? Hold on to my hand. Or better yet..." I reached into my pocket and pulled out a bobby pin and clipped it around the end of my hair and hers.

"There we go. Now, I'm going to let go in a moment. When I do, let yourself go limp, be very quiet, and close your eyes. You'll love it", I said.

"Alright, but just don't drop me", she hesitated. No sooner had she said, that we both drifted and I closed my eyes. Space sleeping, as I liked to call it, was absolute bliss. It clears my mind. Frankly to do that you have to let go of all physical senses. No sight, no hearing, none of that. Now I can finally let go of my sense of touch, because without zero gravity, you're always touching the ground, making this last step impossible. Unless of course you have a gravity semblance.

"Wow", Weiss whispered, "This is amazing!"

"Hold on, we're going down", we slowly drifted to the ground

"Val!" Nimbus' voice rang in the hall as he skidded to a stop in the door frame, "Get yourself ready to go! You too Weiss! Ozpin has placed us and team RWBY on a search and destroy mission!"

"Is that so?" Weiss got back up, "Where is it?"

"The wizard of Oz told me it is the lab of someone named Marcus Maze." Weiss turned as white as a ghost upon hearing this.

"Come on Val!" she grabbed my arm and sprinted with me down the corridor, "Get to the docking bay with Nimbus right now! I'll get my team!" We took opposite directions at the next split in the hall. Weiss seemed a little worked up over this. Something big must have happened.

That meant that I would have to be armed to the teeth.

.

(Nimbus)

Within minutes, all of us were inside of the Bullhead prepping our weaponry.

"You seemed pretty spooked back there Weiss. Is something wrong?" I asked her. Weiss spun the ring on the hilt of her sword and sighed.

"Marcus Maze and my father were partners in scientific Grimm studies while in the field. But after making countless discoveries, it even got to the point where Grimm began targeting him. So his lab is one of the most fortified bases in Remnant. No Grimm would be smart enough to find its way in, or strong enough for that matter. Something terrible must have happened down there."

"I don't think it's anything that we can't handle", I assured her, cleaning my blades one last time, "Speaking of which, we won't be in this alone. It appears that an Atlesian scientist is sending in one Special Forces huntress to assist us. I hear that she's an even heavier hitter than Yang."

"Yeah right", Yang mocked as she pumped her fist, cocking the cannons in the gauntlets, "I'll just have to see for myself!"

"Alright kids, listen up!" Miss Goodwitch stepped into the cabin, "In less than one minute you will be dropping into what very well might be a war zone. Weiss has already made it clear in just how fortified Mr. Maze's laboratory is. So we can only assume that we are dealing with several high level Grimm or possibly even the White Fang. Should it be the former we must destroy all hostiles in the area. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes ma'am!" we all said at once.

"Then Godspeed! You'll be dropping in T minus ten seconds." the door to the cabin closed behind her and the side of the Bullhead opened up to reveal a night sky. Smoke rose from the mountainside forest below.

"Let's go!" I yelled as I leaped out with zero hesitation. The others hesitated for a moment before jumping. I spread my wings when I was one hundred percent positive that no one else was peeking and I glided to a stop near the ground. The lab of Marcus Maze was massive and was built right into the side of the mountain! There was no telling how far the rest of the facility stretched.

Outside of the facility, there were at least a dozen military vehicles that had been completely shredded, all in the same way. Many of the pilots were unconscious, laying in puddles of their own blood. One staggered out from behind a crashed Bullhead holding his bloodied left shoulder. Weiss gasped and ran to his side just as he collapsed.

"Mr. Gilbert! You're alive!" she sighed with relief.

"It's been far too long Miss Schnee. I'm shocked that I'm even in this condition after what happened. Grimm. Unlike anything we've ever seen!"

"Don't worry. We can handle it", Weiss assured him as she sat him up against the side of the building.

A transmission came through on our radios, "Attention all ground forces, you in the shipyard. Do you read me?"

"Professor Gismo! It's Weiss along with the recovery team from Vale. I was told one of Atlas' own would join us", Weiss replied as we looked up a quarter of a mile to see a Bullhead.

"I wish I could join you but today's a rather special occasion. My daughter will be joining you. Stand back!"

A single form leaped out of the ship diving straight down towards the pavement! She didn't slow down until she slammed her fist into the pavement with a thunderous BOOM! The ground cracked as our foreign partner made her appearance. The dust lifted to reveal a seventeen year old girl wearing black pants that were almost skintight. She wore a neon turquoise shirt with a short black jacket, both of which were short enough to let her belly button show. Her jacket, boot, and pants had a small network of turquoise designs that almost seemed to glow in the dark. Her eyes matched that color and luminescence. Her hair was short, black and seemed to lift up slightly in the back. But her most outgoing feature of all was her choice of weaponry. On her hands and wrists were a pair of giant black Gauntlets that were just as big as the engine of a car, and had a large robotic hand at the end of each. Both Gauntlets had the same Turquoise highlights as he clothes. I found it astounding that she could even lift them both so easily.

This girl, in a nutshell, was the ideal modern Cyberpunk.

"Sorry to drop in on you guys, but I have my orders. My father sends his regards", she bowed motioning off to the side with those giant gauntlets, "And you are?"

"Right", I coughed as I stepped forward, "I'm Nimbus. This is Valentine. And this is Team RWBY, comprising of Ruby, Weiss, Blake, and Yang."

The girl giggled in an adorable way and continued, "My name is Arcee Strauss. It's a pleasure to meet you all! Now, shall we begin our search?"

And so we did. The group walked up to the doors and I slammed my gauntlets together and transferred both blades to my right gauntlet where they were placed in a pinwheel formation.

"Alright ladies, stand back", I said as the blades sharpened and spun around on the axis in the form of a giant buzz moments I had cut through the giant metal door and kicked down the new one.

"Alright", Blake took command, "Everybody keep your flashlights on at all times and look behind you once every twenty seconds. Grimm have the advantage of blending into the shadows. Now, everybody split up!" we all left. But I didn't listen to Blake when I turned off my light. All Faunus have perfect eyesight in the dark. No Grimm could escape my line of sight. But I found it odd that this building was quiet, too quiet.

For five minutes, all I could hear were my footsteps and breathing. I saw no signs of conflict or struggle until I saw a bloody smear on the ground, leading off into the locker room. I gagged slightly as I followed the trail until it ended by locker number 47. Blood pooled around the door. I sighed with relief as I heard heavy breathing from inside. So I knocked on the door, "Hello? You okay in there?"

"Thank God!" the door burst open and a young woman fell out. She was probably an intern, I can only assume that. But she was bleeding from her right hip. It was a nasty looking wound, but thankfully not fatal.

"Whoa! Easy there!" I sat her up against the wall, "Some guy named Gilbert told us that there was a Grimm attack."

She shook her head nervously, "It was no ordinary Grimm. It was something worse. They were faster, stronger, smarter. It was..." her eyes closed and she lost consciousness. I immediately proceeded to bring her outside right by Mr. Gilbert.

I dashed back into the tunnels and reported on my radio, "Nimbus here. I've got one injured and I've brought her out. She told me that she saw something different in these Grimm. Stay on your toes!"

I shivered as I saw a trail of blood down the corridor I came down, but I reminded myself that it was that woman's blood. But as I continued on, I found a trail of blood that thickened as I went along. I followed it into a testing chamber and nearly gagged at the sight.

In the middle of the room was a group of maybe twelve scientists, each of them was wounded horribly, but still barely alive. I began to lean on the wall to my left only to discover that it was a cage.

_ROAR_! A Beowolf's claw came inches away from my face. I had backed away just in time. Seeing that attempting to kill me would prove futile, the Grimm backed away and curled up in the middle of the cage. There were countless other Grimm in the surrounding cages. I fumbled for my radio.

"This is Nimbus. I've picked up multiple casualties, and several Grimm. I'm marking my position now", I pressed a button on my headset.

"What about the Grimm?" Ruby asked.

"That's the weird part. I'm in a testing chamber and there's countless Grimm in here, but they're all safely locked in cages."

"Hold up!" Blake broke in, "Cages?! Grimm die within a few days of being in captivity!"

"Then Marcus must have developed a way to keep them alive", I hypothesized, "But something else is wrong. There's strong evidence that a Grimm ran through here, but there aren't any scratches on the outside of the cages. Grimm will always stick up for one another, and any free Grimm would have fought to free its comrades. And I don't see any broken cages at all. Except for..." I never finished. It was only then that I noticed something in the middle of the room.

In the center of the room was a giant test tube. The glass had been shattered and the liquid above the hole drained away. I scooped up a little of the liquid with my fingers. I then noticed how the same liquid was present in places around the room, jumping from one scientist to the next. It was even present in that blood trail I saw before.

I shivered as I realized that we might be dealing with a new breed of Grimm altogether. What happened was a lab test gone horribly wrong!

"Guys! Get everybody you can out the door and come back to my location! We need to guard these guys until help arrives!" I yelled into the radio.

"Good gosh this is horrible!" Arcee complained, "How many Grimm do you think did this?"

"I know exactly how many. The strange thing is that there is only one. All of this damage was done by a single Grimm!"

(End of Chapter 5)

.

Hey guys! I haven't updated this story in a while, but I've finally gotten around that wall of what weapons and semblances Val and Arcee will have. A special thanks (once again) to **Firem78910** for inspiring the creation of Val's weapon! You saved me a lot of trouble pal, and you have my thanks. [What? Alright I'll tell him.] Val says thank you too.

Anyway, If you haven't read my other stories yet, I have news! I now have a new story up called "An Epic System Glitch" (ESG) featuring one of my favorite animes, Accel World! So if you want to, give it a read!

Back to Remnant, I got the idea for Arcee's gauntlets from Yang, but they will work very differently. You see, while most of the characters use slashing weapons, there's always that one person from each team that uses sheer force in their attacks. Namely: Yang, Nora, and Arcee. I'm pretty sure that every team has one.

It's becoming clear that Nimbus, Val, Arcee, and RWBY are about to be in for a surprise.

Until next chapter, this is Beowulf signing out!


	6. Chapter 6: Oblivion

Chapter 6: Oblivion

(Arcee)

I found Nimbus' report to be a little unrealistic, but then again, I haven't seen even a single Grimm roaming these halls. It didn't make sense as to why the Grimm he spoke of were still alive. Grimm die after a few days in captivity.

None of this made sense.

Let's not forget that Grimm will kill without hesitation. None of the people we found were dead, only severely wounded. Something about this Grimm was different.

There was a slight scuttling on the ground and I whirled around to see a small black creature scurrying across the room. A slinker. It was a rare breed of Grimm that resembles a ferret, or a mongoose, and never grew larger than their animal counterparts. It looked at me for a moment, then scuttled away down the hall.

I heard it squeaking down the hall then heard a human voice, "Is that all? Are you positive, Sly?" squeak, "Keep looking. You know what to do." A human, talking to a Grimm?! I whirled around the corner to see one of the ceiling tiles being placed again.

"Guys! Get everyone out of here ASAP! I don't think that The Grimm our our only concern", I radioed.

"Look, whatever that thing was, it's gone now. You saw the carnage outside", Yang pointed out.

"Alright", Ruby said, "I think that's everyone! How 'bout you Nimbus?"

"I just got the last one out of the testing chamber" he responded, "I'm heading back to there to investigate a little-WHOA!" A collection of roars, hisses and screeches came from his end.

"Nimbus?!" Val called.

"Lock up the lab right now! The Grimm have just busted free of their cages! All of them!"

"That Slink!" I realized, "It must have unlocked the cages!"

"No time to lose!" Blake commanded, "I'll go outside and protect the people! Everybody else, prepare for high levels of Grimm! Bring your A-game!"

"On my way!", I reached for my belt and tapped the button. My jet pack fired up and I zipped down the hallways, stopping when I heard banging from behind a giant metal door large enough to flay a bullhead through. With the power out, the door wouldn't open on its own, so that meant I would have to bust it down. I set my gloves to impact and the hands hid themselves inside the golve to reveal a metal, speaker shaped design. I wound up for the punch, but an arrow of energy shot at me through the door. Though it missed my shoulder, the door was completely torn away, smashing me against the wall and leaving my imprint lodged in the door itself. That was raw power!

"For Boreas!" a battle cry roared out and I heard the sound of Grimm being sliced and diced. I pushed the door away a little and picked up the entire thing. I could see Nimbus picking off Grimm one by one.

I screamed out a battle cry of my own and Nimbus looked my way. "Holy Spetz!" he gasped and ducked down the broken doorway. At the same time, I threw the entire door down the hall smashing through every single Grimm in its way! Nimbus was sitting back to the wall with his jaw dropping and his eyebrow twitching up a storm, "I...didn't hit you did I?"

"You did", I said as i flexed my joints, "That almost hurt."

"_Almost?!" _he stood up, "No human could survive that without a rebound semblance, and I know you don't have one!"

"That's...classified. Duck!" He complied as I zipped past him and uppercut an ursa into the ceiling. More Grimm charged down the corridors followed by the rest of the team.

The rest of the creatures were decimated in moments. "Alright!" Ruby and Yang cheered. I activated my semblance and scanned he halls.

"We're clear! I don't sense any other Grimm inside the facility! Wait...Blake! She's injured!" I gasped. We all dashed out of the corridor and ran until we saw Blake nursing a wound in her hip behind a pile of crates.

"Blake!" Val yelled as she leaped over to her like she was on the moon, "What happened?!"

"A sickler happened. I never knew that they could play dead", she groaned as we helped her up.

"Well, you remember what Port told us," Nimbus pointed out, "When in doubt, double tap."

"No one but you remembers what Port teaches", Weiss joked, "Regardless, you need to be more careful next time, Blake."

"Got it", she smiled weakly, "We're human after all. We make mistakes."

"That's right. You just made an even bigger one!" we all gasped as Yang bolted forward and sent Blake flying across the room!

"Yang! What are you doing?!" I yelled at her. Yang only walked over to Blake who had made a crater in the wall.

"Who are you and what have you done with Blake?!" Yang growled as her eyes turned red and her hair began to glow.

"What's your problem?!" Blake struggled to stand, "Why are you doing this?!"

"Because you aren't Blake. You said that we make mistakes because we're human. But the real Blake would have known that she was a Faunus!" Val Nimbus and I gasped.

In that instant, Blake stopped shaking and stood up perfectly fine. A sinister grin crossed her face. "Very perceptive my little sunflower", she spoke. but we heard two different voices, one was Blake's, the other was that of a guy, "Here I was thinking that brawn and brains couldn't fit under one roof. You proved me wrong."

"What's going on?!" Ruby shivered and jumped into Weiss' arms in terror.

"It's an Impostor semblance", I realized, "Those who have it can take on the body and voice of any person they see. Good eye, Yang!"

"Impressive", the impostor's form flickered to that of a tall boy in black clothes with long black hair and a Grimm mask over his eyes. That slink scurried to him and jumped onto his shoulders.

"I don't want to waste your time any longer so I'd best be going. My intentions have nothing to do with you." He turned to walk to the corridor to his right.

"Hold it mister!" Weiss drew her sword and everybody's weapons sprang out, including the real Blake who now stood twenty feet behind the guy.

"Who are you?" Blake snarled, "Are you with the White Fang?"

The boy cast glances at all of us individually, then frowned, "I have no official name, if that's what you want, _Schnee. _And I do not side with the White Fang. But if you must refer to me in some way, then you will address me as Oblivion, nothing more and nothing less. Do not get in my way." He spoke calmly, but with the Aural authority of an army commander. he silently walked down the hall to his right while the rest of us stood there overwhelmed. As soon as he left our field of vision, we all snapped out of it and chased after him. But by the time we rounded the corner, we saw that the hall was a dead end and the newly named Oblivion had vanished into thin air. "He must have taken to the rafters!" I sighed as I put my gauntlets into public mode and they began to compact a little.

"We have to go after him!" Nimbus said. but was stopped by Val. "No, our mission was to eliminate all Grimm and save the scientists. We're done here.

It was only a few minutes later that the medics arrived to provide emergency care. There were no fatalities, but everyone, especially the ones in the chamber Nimbus found, were severely wounded. A Vale Bullhead came in to pick up my team mates.

"I can't wait to tell the others!" Ruby squealed as they boarded.

"We have to report to Ozpin first, you dunce!" Weiss corrected, then she turned to me as I took my seat beside them. They all just stared at me silently.

"Is...something wrong?" I questioned.

"Don't you think you might have gotten on the wrong Bullhead?" Blake asked, "This one's going to Beacon Academy."

"Then nothing's wrong", I tilted my head and smiled, "I guess you didn't get the memo. My dad is enrolling me at Beacon. I'm your newest classmate!"

Nimbus and Valentine looked to each other and back to me. Val stood up and shook my hand, "Then that means that you are officially the third member of me and Nimbus' team."Welcome!"

As I became acquainted with my new team, something stirred in the back of my mind. Oblivion. I scanned the area with my semblance to search for him. What was he doing there? There was no possible way that he was the one who destroyed the compound, he was an unarmed human. and despite the fact that he wore a Grimm mask, the people said that the destruction was caused by a Grimm. So I scoured the land as we passed in search of a monster who could have possibly done this.

.

(Oblivion)

_Good riddance. _If only those people had actually stuck the puzzle pieces together. That "Yang" had one heck of a right hook. But my Impostor Semblance was flawless, it was my acting skills that I needed to work on. I had almost left unnoticed, that accursed Lab. Not many knew what really happened within the confines of the laboratory that night. Everybody thinks they know Marcus Maze. Everyone thinks they know what he was concocting behind those walls.

I knew better, and I should know because...I was there.

Nimbus was very right with his assumption, a lab test gone wrong. That was partially Marcus' handiwork. His work was on the teetering edge of the grey zone, in terms of human and Faunus morality. But I was both, a half-breed. Search closely beneath my hair and you'll see a pair of insect antennae that I can raise or hide on a moment's notice.

Marcus did mean for his tests to bring a better future for mankind, he really did. The means he used to achieving that goal were in that grey area I mentioned. Marcus had a hatred for the Grimm stronger than that of any man. I had a very different point of view.

That's because _I _was one of his test subjects. Scratch that. I was _the _test subject. The one of present interest. There was no full Grimm who had decimated the labs of Marcus Maze. It was the work of a Half-Breed turned _Tri-Breed. _

As the remaining forces departed and the lab was abandoned, I looked at myself, my real self, in the reflection of a pond lit up by the full moon.

I understood why Blake first assumed that I was a White Fang associate. The Grimm mask I wore, kind of portrayed that message falsely. I thought back on what really happened earlier tonight.

(Beginning Flashback)

My eyes opened and I saw that I was in a test tube, full of a slightly blue, transparent liquid. All I wore was a pair of green waterproof pants.

I was scared. What would happen to me?

Men in white lab coats wandered the room, taking notes of me and the monsters inside of the cages. Grimm, dozens of them, no two were of the same species. I didn't understand how these Grimm could still be alive in captivity. No human can keep a Grimm alive like this. I could faintly hear voices of the humans, and Faunus that crowded the room.

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" one asked.

"Trust me, it is."

I had been raised here ever since I was orphaned as a child. But I never imagined that this was what they wanted. I tried to struggle against my bonds, but they only tightened. The leader, Marcus, turned to his colleagues and spoke.

"My dear friends, Faunus and human alike, we face a time of struggle in Remnant. The Grimm are becoming more numerous, more destructive, more difficult to control. The schools have done their part in giving us the start we all needed", he began flipping switches at the control panel, "But it's time to usher in a new era of Huntsmen. I'm sure you all know about the projects we've developed over the years. What we have here", he gestured to me, "will undoubtedly be our first surviving, and successful specimen." My back stung suddenly as the first needles pierced my shoulder blades. I screamed in pain.

"This conflict has led us to a difficult, but unavoidable conclusion: in order to eliminate the Grimm, we must use a Grimm." The needles delivered their cargo and removed themselves from me. Another hit my lower spine, and one hit each of my limbs. Blood began to ooze into the tank, forming ribbon-like formations in the liquid.

"And for this instance, we chose the strongest Grimm we have in our kennels: a record breaking Sickler, a Deathstalker, and a little something extra: the human factor."

No sooner had hose words reached my ears, I felt the pain. The places pierced by the needles ached tremendously and the bonds holding me released to permit growth. I dared not look. That growing pain I felt in my back turned into a tearing pain for a moment and I tried to scream. After two minutes, it was all over. The leader spoke on about this "project" but I had heard enough to understand. I was nothing more than a science project to them. No, I was lower to them. I was merely an expendable variable.

"That is why we must take this path. With this new technology we can customize our Huntsmen down to the semblance they bear."

I looked at myself. My skin had turned black in patches around the puncture marks. Around the center of each, perfectly placed, were bonelike structures resembling the mask of a Grimm. At my wrist, sprouting out just beneath my human hands, was a pair of black mantis claws with translucent blades. Growing out of my lower spine was a long segmented tail with a small golden tip. The tail of a Deathstalker. It was seven feet long. I shivered and my tail wrapped around me. But the next change was behind my back. I could feel a shell. It split open to reveal a pair of insect wings the size of my arms. I shut them tight and held myself in the embrace of my own tail. I felt like a kid holding his blanket. I then felt my face and I grasped a mask, now completely fused over my eyes. I looked to the leader, Marcus. I had trusted this man for years. "How can you people do this to me?" I muttered, crying quietly. I could feel a dark hunger boiling deep inside of me. These Faunus and humans, my own species, had turned me into this monster. Not Grimm, Faunus, nor human. I was nothing more than a freak.

"This model here is the first of our lineup, a Velocion!" My anger flared and I lashed out with a single claw, causing cracks to form in the tube. This rage was inhuman! Then again I wasn't a human or Faunus anymore, was I? I backed up against the other side of the tube and I pushed off, crashing into the broken side. The tube shattered and the liquid poured out, carrying me with it.

"You monster!" I growled as everyone backed off. I dashed forward, slicing four of my captors at their chests. "I refuse! You will suffer at my hands!" The next five minutes were too gruesome to describe. But by the time I had finished, every single person in the room was left barely alive. But Marcus had escaped somehow. I roared in frustration that my target had gotten away from me. That roar, the ferocious scream of a monster. The Grimm in the other cages trembled, backing as far from me as possible. I passed them by. The pain returned briefly as my new features disappeared, like they never existed. I ran through the compound and gathered my clothes. I needed to get out of here. But I made a note to myself. No human, or Faunus could be trusted now. All who crossed me would feel my wrath.

(Ending flashback)

I looked at my moonlit pond reflection. I wrapped my tail around myself for a brief moment. My wings emerged from beneath my jacket through a special design that Marcus designed. Okay, I'll admit that the design was sleek and well engineered. My sickler claws came into existence. They were still coated in the blood of the scientists I attacked. These same claws had destroyed those airships, and the lab. My rage, the rage of an untamed Grimm, had caused so much pain. But I had acted in whatever way would protect me. But I held back enough to spare their lives.

But Marcus was near the bottom of my list of concerns for now. I could disappear into any nation and never be found again if I wanted to. But I had a tragic history to address. Before I could even think about living a normal life, I would settle the score with an entity that caused me pain years ago. Running into Weiss Schnee tonight reminded me of that all too well.

(End of Chapter 6)

.

.

HAHAHA! Beowulf has returned!

It's finally ready! My forth and final OC has hit the pages: the mysterious Oblivion, (Just to annoy him I'll call him Obi).

As I said during the last several chapters, each of my four OC's will represent the racial powers of Remnant. Nimbus is Faunus, Valentine is Human, and Arcee is machine (synthian). It may or may not have been obvious to you what was left. Obi, the final OC, holds the place of the creatures of Grimm themselves!

But also note that each of the characters represent their races at the highest of levels. For example: Nimbus as a legendary Faunus breed. Valentine is royalty. Arcee is mechanical engineering at a super-sentient level. And Oblivion rises above all other Grimm because he has a Human mind, and a soul. yet he has the strength of a Grimm. ( I actually noticed all of this not long before I finished this chapter.)

But now a question remains. Who will he side with? We'll all see what the future holds in the next chapter!

Peace out!


	7. Chapter 7: Motives

Chapter 7: Motives

(Valentine)

"WHAT?!" Yang and Ruby's shrieks rattled the library. Yang continued, "How could you not have played Wrisk?! It is the king of board games!"

"Give her a break, Yang!" Ruby vouched for me, "Wrisk hasn't been sold in Mistral yet!" Yang silently nodded.

"Don't keep me waiting!" I unfolded the board, "What do I do?" Yang began shuffling the cards and passed out the appropriate number.

"It's easy, you play one of the four kingdoms and you fight armies, monsters, **and you don't stop until all of Remnant is tight in the palm of your hand!**" She raised her voice and cackled with excitement as she balanced on the chair. She kicked into a back flip off the top of the chair and landed softly back in her seat, "Really, it's fun!"

"You just say that because you. Win all the time. No one but Jaun has come close to beating you."

"I see", I finished the instructions, "I'll be Mistral, naturally."

"OOH! Let me play!" Arcee skidded into the fourth and final seat, "I'm Atlas!"

"I'm Vale!" Yang claimed.

Ruby pouted, "Come on! I always get stuck with Vacuo", but she perked up when she slammed a card down on the table, "But that means that I can launch go full out right out of the gate! I engage Blitzkrieg on Atlas using my Banshee scout fleet!"

Arcee mocked a gasp, "How could you?! This is war! I deploy Dying Valor!"

They battled it out, and out of nowhere, Yang said, "HAHA! Your last attack just activated my trap card: From the Mountains!" Ruby and Arcee both screamed in horror as their armies were swept off the map by Yang's pawns, "I win!" I quickly examined the battlefield and something clicked. That card in my hand and that precise location where Yang's forces were located.

"Not quite!" I whipped out the card and slammed it on top of the "valley". The inside of this card had traces on iron, and there was a magnet inside of that particular part of the board. Connecting the two caused that part of the board to spring open, revealing an areal view of some ancient ruins.

"I enact the a scavenger's card: Blood sacrifice!" Yang's pieces were all thrown off the table as the ancient "deity" was summoned using the blood of the soldiers who fell to Yang's forces, "Divine intervention!"

Yang was furious, "Where the blazes did that come from?!"

"You didn't read the back page of the instructions did you." I flipped to the back page that had a list of similar points. Yang began to sweat profusely, "You did not just do that."

"Yang! You cheater!" Ruby raged after her sister, chasing her around the table until she used her speed semblance to tackle her to the floor, "All of those times I could have won because of that trick!"

I laughed as Arcee hopelessly tried to break up the fight, "Valentine! Get Blake or Weiss! If this doesn't stop soon I'll have to use force!" Even without her gloves, Arcee had incredible physical strength, but she would hate to use it now. So I looked for Blake for a moment and saw her at a desk. I silently looked over her shoulder to see a sketchbook. She was currently drawing a winged figure that looked very familiar. The surrounding area was covered in weapon designs, sketches of people and more. Perhaps I should get Weiss instead. So I walked back.

"Val! I said get Blake!" Arcee was trying to get in between the sisters.

"Look, I would but she seemed rather immersed in that sketchbook of hers."

"WHAT?!" Ruby and Yang instantly stopped their fight and got up in my face.

"Was she upset?!" Ruby asked.

"What was she drawing?!" Yang interrogated me.

"Hey! Calm down! So she's drawing. Big deal", Arcee butted in.

"No, that is a very big biggie!" Ruby insisted, "Sure she always has a book in hand, and sure she's antisocial. But she only pulls out that sketchbook whenever she's really got something big on her mind. The last time she pulled it out she couldn't sleep for a week!"

"Now, I want you to give me a clear answer", Yang grabbed my shoulders and asked me in a manner more serious than I've ever seen her before, "What was she drawing? Was It a guy with a katana, red hair and a mask?"

"No. Nothing of the sort. She drew some awesome pictures of us. Let's not forget to mention that she drew some weapons designs that I never could have dreamed up."

"Was there a...focus of her works? What was the centerpiece?" Yang asked once more.

"I think it was an...angel. I don't know, someone with wings. And she almost seemed to be excited! I don't think I've ever seen Blake smile like that on her own."

Yang and Ruby gasped then squealed with delight.

"That is something completely different altogether!" Ruby said hopping up and down excitedly, "She only draws things and people that she's seen before at some point. She must have seen an angel!"

"I don't think that was an angel you're thinking of", Arcee corrected, "I'm pretty sure that the most logical explanation is that the winged figure is a Faunus."

"That makes a lot more sense", Yang put her hand on her chin, then she continued, "Actually, that makes perfect sense! You remember the stories that she told us about the Halcyons right? She always said that everything would change if the Halcyon Faunus were still around. She must have seen one!"

I regretted to inform them that the drawing, although the centerpiece, was incomplete. The one group of things that the figure lacked were facial features. For now, all we could do was watch the skies for Blake's archangel.

.

(Nimbus)

Late that night, I got dressed, slipped out of the school campus and out to the side of a cliff to Forevermore Oak. Forevermore Oak was a large live oak that had taken a strong hold to the edge of the cliff, and school legends told that its roots stretched out as far as the clock tower of Beacon, so it supposedly had the most firm hold possible. I climbed up the tree to the top branch that almost acted like a loft. I looked out at the stars, heck I could faintly see the lighter blue interstellar clouds of the Milky Way! I unfurled one of my wings and held it up to the stars. My crystal flight feathers blended in if the nebula formations weren't there.

I began to think back on the past several days. I had thought that I would get my first two team mates in a few weeks, as opposed to the few short days it had really taken.

Then I thought on Stratos. I missed my friends and the little family I had left there. What would they think if they came here to Remnant? I wondered if they would side with the White Fang. I would have no choice but to fight if that happened.

With this in mind, I began to sing a song called Skyward Heart. Something else: many Halcyons are essentially songbirds and have a range of voice that bests any other race. I don't mean to brag, but everyone back home has always told me that I have the best singing voice. I can't really give you any other unbiased answer. Singing calmed my nerves every time.

While in mid-verse, however, I was interrupted by a pair of hands wrapping around my waist! "Oh Spe-!" a finger to my lips shut me up.

Yet another person had seen my wings, "Don't speak, Nimbus", a soft voice whispered, "You don't how much this means to me." I could not discern who it was just yet. Whoever it was, she was almost my height, had light skin, and was moderately curved. I could hear the sound of purring, like a cat.

I opened my mouth to speak but was silenced when the girl leaned her head almost over my shoulder and tenderly kissed the side of my neck. I reached back with my hand to find a strand of long black hair and a pair of cat ears on top of her head. I shivered as my natural instincts made me alert. I turned my head to her once she let my neck go, but she instantly reached up, put her hands on the back of my head and kissed me on the lips.

I went weak at the knees and we both slid down the trunk of the tree and back to solid ground. The girl sat on top of my stomach, laying down on my chest as she kissed me. My first kiss.

It wasn't until she broke the kiss ten seconds later to reveal the one girl who I least expected.

She was Blake Belladonna.

Now in the light of a full (shattered) moon, I could see a pair of black cat ears that had once been hidden beneath her bow. Part of this made me absolutely terrified. You see, Halcyons have a natural wariness of members of the feline race. After all, cats typically fed on any birds they could get their claws on. I guess the same fear made me scared of Blake. Let's not forget that she was granting me my first kiss,_and_ she knew my secret. My wings almost seemed to curl up, trembling, and for once in my life, I couldn't do anything. Blake saw my fear and gently brushed my cheek with her hand, successfully calming me down a little.

"Look, I promise I won't tell anyone. I understand that it must mean a lot to you. I spoke to Ozpin and he explained it to me."

"That's not very reassuring", I struggled to say. My wings, folded back a little more.

"I'm sorry about this, but I had to talk to you in private. I have to know. Why did your kind disappear?" Blake asked kindly.

I was reluctant to respond at first, but I answered, "The war. We took the war hard enough to isolate ourselves from civilization for centuries, from both humans and other Faunus alike. I know I might have come on my own initiative, but I don't think Stratos will share my beliefs", I closed my eyes for a moment, "I'm sure that everyone forgot about what we did back then."

"No. Do you honestly think that you have been forgotten? The people of Remnant look to you as heroes who sacrificed everything to end the war, even if it meant bloodshed of your own. The human and Faunus see you all as legends!"

After a short pause, she continued, "I just couldn't hold it in when I heard that you were here, the real you. I've hoped for something that can end the trouble down here, and...I just think that your return would be the boost we need to end the conflict down here." Now that was much more comforting. My trembling stopped and I extended my wings to wrap around Blake and myself.

"Not yet. I'm...just not ready for that sort of commitment yet. I have to settle down first, and establish myself as a huntsman first. I want to try and make a good impression when the time comes." She leaned in for another kiss tilting her head this time. She held me tight and i held her just as tight with my arms and wings. She completely took over the situation until we both ended it.

"Then why are you still kissing me?" I blushed as I said, "Not that I have a problem with it." _Again _she pulled me into a kiss, much shorter, but this one had a flash of tongue. She pulled away for the last time, licking her lips and smiling.

"I just wanted to thank you. You just...gave me a better sense of hope. You're arrival here just gives me one more reason to fight on."

Now my nervousness was practically gone. We began to lean in one more time for another exchange, but we were interrupted when a Bullhead parked right outside the doors of the school. Ozpin met a man at the door, backed up a little in shock, then ran back inside in a hurry.

Within moments, lights went on in the dorms as JNPR, RWBY, and my team were woken up. "Three teams at once?!" I gasped as I hid my wings and ran to the messenger.

"What happened?!" I asked him.

"Good you guys are out early! Get in we'll all be leaving for Schnee Headquarters in Atlas momentarily. It's the White Fang!"

.

(Oblivion) (White Fang meeting)

The Schnee family would suffer tonight. And I would see to it under the mask of the White Fang. I've heard about how the Schnee and the Fang had been fighting for years, why exactly is beyond me. But in order to sneak in, I had to prove to them that I was "Faunus". So I had to show my antennae. They were rather pleased to have someone such as myself in their ranks and that I had already picked up my issued Grimm mask. If only they knew the truth.

I used my semblance to "suit up" in White Fang standard issue armor and they offered me a gun. I was reluctant at first, but they insisted. I thought about that incident years ago as I was loaded up into a bullhead. I remembered how I had suffered, how _they _had suffered. Nothing was left in me but a sense of hatred. The hatred of a Grimm.

The lieutenant rolled down the aisle checking up on each soldier in a roll call. Each person was given a nickname. But they came to me and the jackal eared Faunus looked over the list twice. "You there", he said as I stood up in response, "you don't appear on this list."

"Private Apollo Noctos. The higher ups placed me in the convoy last minute. I was code named Mantis, sir." I lied.

A female Faunus stood up at the front and said, "He speaks the truth sir. I was there when Captain Ryan gave him clearance to join."

"Hmm. Alright then Mantis. Welcome to the White Fang."

"Glad to be here, sir", I smirked evilly as he walked away, "It's about time that justice was dealt." He looked back over his shoulder with a smile of agreement.

A minute later the bay doors opened. "Go! Go! Go!" someone yelled as we stormed the scene. Our target was the Schnee Dust Foundry in Atlas.

"This is Boris speaking", someone said over the com-link, "Just to recap, Group Feral has to go in and take all the dust you find. Slipstream will eliminate all opposition standing in your way. Do not hesitate to use lethal force!"

But I broke off from the group and deactivated the tracking system. I wasn't going to either place and I had no interest in Dust. I rounded the facility and placed issued explosives on my selected targets. When the time came I would set them all off at once with a remote detonator.

The Schnee's hired soldiers had confronted the White Fang. But all of a sudden the fighting stopped as a person from each side stepped forward. One was the soldier who addressed me on the bullhead. The other was a man with long grey hair and a scar over his left temple. All of the other soldiers got behind their respective leaders and stood back. Both of them pulled out swords and circled each other. But now that my plan was set to go, I could wait for the right moment to strike. Swords clashed far below. No one could land a hit for the first two minutes. Then all of a sudden the ground exploded at Boris' feet, sending him to the ground.

"This is the end!" the guard said as he raised his sword to strike.

"You're right", I said, dropping from the ceiling. The guard had looked up from the fight but he received a claw to the chest. "I'm sorry Boris, but his one's mine." I removed the blade and the guard collapsed.

"Well done Mantis. Justice has been done!"

"Indeed", I said. Blood splattered and both crowds gasped to see what just happened. I did the one thing that no one expected, my left claw had pierced all the way through Boris' chest. He fell to his knees. "You traitor!" he wheezed, "How could you betray your own people?!"

I smiled, "It's simple really. I am not a Faunus. I _was _a half breed."

Boris reached for my mask in an attempt to remove it. But he discovered that it was stuck tight.

"Then why attack the Schnee?" the guard wheezed, "That makes you human!"

"Seven years ago, Granite Bark. Does the name Eastman ring any bells, Captain Isaac?" was all that I said. With that, I slashed with my claw, sending Boris to the ground in a pool of his own blood, "No matter. If you remember me or not is a minute point now. I will be the one to end this fight, right here, right now. I don't care if you are human or Faunus! You have both wronged me. The only race that has ever done any good for me", my claws, tail and wings exploded from beneath the armor, "were the creatures of Grimm! It is thanks to their powers that you will feel the wrath of Oblivion!"

(End of Chapter 7)

.

Beowulf here!

You already knew that Oblivion has a grudge against the Schnee. But backstabbing the White Fang because of another personal agenda?! Who saw that coming?

Nevertheless, Obi is already dropping hints about his past. Things are about to get serious in the next chapter.

Second, Nimbus' life. Just as he's in the middle of a moment that could have led to a flashback, Black comes out of nowhere. I was expecting Val or Yang to make the first move, but _Blake?! _It takes a lot to make that happen. Nimbus you lucky son of a Grimm.

Back to the Atlas situation, Beacon's going all out with the response team. But I'm not worried about Obi being defeated. What I'm worried about is whether or not Beacon's best will be enough.

I might have just created a monster.

Beowulf out.


	8. Chapter 8: NOVA

Chapter 8: NOVA

(Arcee)

I was in a bullhead with the response teams on my way back to Atlas. That was the second big attack in less than two days! But It was the White Fang this time. And they were knocking on Weiss' front door. Blake and Weiss were the most upset about this, but why the former was so worked up was beyond me. I would have to be careful not to overexert myself; regardless of who they were, they were still Faunus, people. Unless there was no other way, killing was out of the question.

I began to attempt contact with the guards on the ground. "This is Beacon response team to ground. Beacon to ground. Do you read?" Static. "Ground forces this is Beacon response team. Please respond, over." Static. Then a voice came through.

"This is Sargent Marco, Schnee security. I read you loud and clear, over."

"This is Arcee, from Strauss Laboratories with Weiss Schnee. We're approximately four minutes out and we need an idea of what we're facing. Over."

"It's bad. They just came out of nowhere! No! Captain Isaac is down! I repeat! Captain Isaac is down! He was dueling with that Fang leader, Boris and some other guy jumped in and stabbed him in the back!" There was a series of horrified gasps on the other end, "Scratch that! He just took down Boris too!" A horrifying screech nearly overloaded the mic on his end, "No! What the hell are you?! Stay back! Stay-", the line went dead. Everybody was listening in over my shoulder.

"Do you think it's a Grimm?" Weiss asked.

"I don't think, I know it's a Grimm. We're here!"

The door opened up and all of us piled out of the bullhead. The situation here was very identical to Marcus Maze's Lab attack. The siege here was happening right in front of us. The soldiers, once fighting as a group, scattered around the compound, breaking into separate fights. But there were a few of the soldiers that had completely forgotten about the siege and were trying to get to safety. I even saw a Fang and a Guard standing back to back as they turned corners. I fired up my jetpack and dropped beside them, causing both of the paranoid soldiers to take aim at me.

"Hey! Chill out guys, I'm a Huntress." The faunus walked over to the wall and slid to the ground in exhaustion.

"This was not in the job description!" the guard looked around in panic.

"There's no point in even being here with that guy..._thing _running around here! No one's ever defeated Boris before!" the faunus hyperventilated.

"Calm down, both of you!" Weiss, joined me, "Once this thing is brought under control we will assist the wounded without discrimination."

"Why the hell should we believe you, Schnee?" he growled until I set my Gauntlets to cannon mode and he shut up.

"Right now, neither side of this fight has the luxury of bickering among themselves", I clarified, "If you all don't leave or do something productive you might-"

_**BOOM!** _The building behind them exploded, throwing the faunus back towards us. At the exact same time, seven other explosions went off around the compound.

"The hell?" The Fang guy rubbed his head, "Those were our issue explosives, trigger detonated! This was a Dust retrieval mission, not an all out assault!"  
>I activated my semblance and scanned the compound. A single figure leaped out of one of the burning structures.<p>

"I don't think the White Fang is in control of this fight anymore," I stopped the scan, "it's that thing! The one from Marcus' Laboratory!"

.

(Oblivion)

This entire exploit was working out even better than I'd predicted. The Fang's forces and Bullheads were shot, and The Schnee factory and security force was in just as bad a shape.

Chaos, destruction, fear. My work here was done.

I almost let my Grimm form disperse but I was interrupted.

"YOU!" a familiar voice called out to me. I turned around to see the giant gauntlet girl from that ragtag team that I met in the labs not long before.

"You guys have a bad habit of following me around. That's rather rude of you."

"You have a habit of bringing disaster behind you", she snarled, "Did you cause this?!"

"So what if I did? It doesn't concern you."

I dodged out of the way of the robed girl's strike and she, said, "You're right! It concerns all of us!"

"Ah, the famous Valentine Vance of Mistral. I didn't recognize you before."

Pain shot through my right shoulder as an energy arrow shot down from the top of the warehouse, a good distance away.

"That actually hurt you know", I said as my arm secreted black smoke and healed, "Since you all seem to want a fight, I won't have any choice but to leave."

"Guys, I found him! Everyone close in on my position, but use extreme caution. It's a special case." I narrowed my eyes. I saw a shadow in the doorway behind me and I dodged out of the way of a bullet coming from a girl in black.

I dashed for the other door and collided with a girl with fiery yellow hair. I dodged a punch from a pair of Vulcan Gauntlets (as I liked to call them) and slipped past her in the hall, quickly losing them.

No one had seen my natural form yet, so all I had to do was get out of here alive and then I could live a semi-normal life. I was only moments from that. I had reached the exit and I breathed in the cool night air without stopping. There was a full moon. But before I could take to the skies, a gale of rose petals blew past me. I stopped dead in my tracks in surprise. I hadn't accounted for this last one to be trailing me. I had to think fast.

I coiled my tail around myself as a first line of defense. I had to think like the predator that I had become, not prey. The rose petals got caught up in the wind, blowing in front of my face. One blew across my eyes and a red and black figure now stood in the tree behind it. Rose petals flowed off of a red cape and hood. The aura coming from this girl was indescribable. Something about her stood out from the others. I flipped open my claws. She smiled, then disappeared in a gust of rose petals. I leaped up just in time to dodge three gunshots from my right. I saw her and she had a sniper rifle in hand then she disappeared again. All of a sudden there she was again, coming right at me from the complete opposite direction! No one on earth could be this fast. Her sniper rifle twirled in her hand and changed into a giant red scythe, a beautiful weapon in every sense of the word.

She met my blade with hers and I caught my first full glimpse at her face. I was surprised to find that this girl was only fifteen, two years younger than her fellow team mates. My eyes caught her finger moving towards a trigger, and I realized that this weapon, even in this form, was still a gun, and that its previous form only suppressed its kick. I ducked as the scythe sliced over my head with extra force. Using another shot, she darted off in a circle around me, rose petals forming a cyclone in the air. I could barely see her now. It would only be a matter of time before she did a complete ninety degree turn back towards me. No sooner had I thought that, she darted in, scratching my right shoulder. I winced but barely dodged the second. The third time came, but this time I stretched out my tail and tripped her. She rolled to a stop with her scythe ten feet away. My Grimm side began to take over a little more. I walked over to her, picked her up and held her against the tree.

"You have heart, human. You put up a hell of a fight." My tail stretched out and put the point close to her neck. "I admire your skill, and at such a young age too."

"Let her go!" a girl's voice called. I turned around to see the two girls and the guy I saw before, plus seven others. I whirled around and held a blade to Ruby's throat.

"Don't come another step closer. I don't want to have to do this to someone with her talent, but I will if it means getting out of here." The girl in yellow and the guy with the orange hair prepared to fight. But a girl in white stepped forward.

"You had your chance to fight and you all let him slip away", then she said to me, "Despite the fact that you are a Grimm, I can only assume that you have the decency to accept a challenge."

I removed my tail. "A challenge?"

"Right. You let Ruby go and you and I will fight, alone."

"Weiss, don't!" Ruby said, "Get Professor Ozpin if anything. Don't fight him!" I released Ruby and let her run back to the others.

"I accept, but the others may not interfere."

She nodded and turned to Ruby, "I've never let the team down before," she drew a rapier and pointed it at me, "and I swear on the name of Schnee that I won't start now."

My inner Grimm was pleased by this. The others ran off to the entrance of the building.

"Weiss, is that it? You're even more guts than Ruby", I flipped open my claws, "But I see an problem between us. I was wrong in what I said last night. One of my concerns does involve you. Prepare yourself, Weiss Schnee! Today I shall have my revenge!"

I dashed forward and scissor sliced with my claws. Without hesitation, she back flipped, kicking my blades away. A glyph formed on the ground at her feet and she practically flew forward towards me. A glyph semblance. We parried twice before she backed off. She didn't rely on surprise like Ruby did. She was an upfront fighter, just like me. And she fought with a type of elegance that I had never seen before. It completely contrasted my primal fighting style. On the next attack, her sword glowed red and my attack was completely repelled from the blade. It was like a trampoline. The glow faded, leaving me to wonder just what the heck that was.

A yellow gear glyph formed at her feet and she dashed forward with blinding speeds. I tried to pull the same trick I did before, but she completely dodged my tail. Not only was she moving fast, she could see where she was going. I struggled to hold her back before the glyph's affect faded. I then snapped out my wings and zipped into the skies. I needed to come up with a plan. But before that could happen, Weiss had jumped up there to my height. I growled and zipped away again, and she responded by mid-air glyph jumping to me again! I dove back down and she followed. Only this time she got a little too close and I swiped at her left eye. I made a light scratch, but she screamed, backing away in shock.

I noticed that there was an old scar over that eye, and I must have opened it up again.

Like all Grimm, I could smell the aura coming off of her. I sensed pain in every sense. Perhaps it was from childhood. Whatever it was, it was somehow related to that scar.

"So you know pain", my Grimm muttered loud enough for her to hear, "Betrayal, broken heart. On the inside you and I are essentially the same." A tear dripped down her face as she stabbed her sword, now glowing in a multicolored fashion, into the ground.

"Bastard! Don't ever attack the little pride I have left!" the ground in front of her exploded as an underground glyph sent fragments of stone into the air in front of her. A black glyph caught it all then turned red as she rapid fired earthen shrapnel at me. I gritted my teeth as I realized my fatal mistake. She twirled her sword and I noticed how a part of the hilt twisted around to turn the blade into the same color as one of the many points on the dial. A ring of glyphs appeared around us and she bounced from glyph to glyph, attacking me as she went.

"We. Are not. The. Same!" she said in between slices, not giving me a second to recover. "Unlike you, I'm not a soulless monster!" she zipped past me, doubling her speed and landing a successful blow against my left shoulder. The last glyph turned black and she stuck to it. Her blade turned blue, shooting out a line of ice on the ground, freezing me from the waist down. Her blade glowed white and the glyph went red as she struck me before I could register it. My chest exploded in my own blood and the ice shattered, allowing me to fall to my knees. My Grimm receded leaving me there to bask in this pain. I couldn't do anything but curl my tail around myself as I collapsed in the fetal position, all Grimm features, save for the tail, fading away. I lost. Weiss knelt down beside me knowing full well that I wouldn't dare get back up again. Finally my mask had disappeared. Weiss gasped silently as she saw that I was in fact a human (at least she thought I was a human).

"I told you that I know pain. I was betrayed, just like you were. They turned me into this", I coughed up blood, and all went black, "We...are..the same."

(Nimbus)

It was Oblivion himself! I knew somehow that he was involved in the lab assault, but I never imagined that he was the Grimm who attacked the lab. That explained why he wore the mask. I dropped beside Weiss as she knelt down beside him.

"Why?" she asked to no one in particular, "What would drive one man to do all of this?"

"Ha ha! We've got them on the run! but they're sending in the big guys to cover", Nora said over the radio.

"Then we send in our heavy hitters!" I responded, "Yang, Nora, and Jaun, you guys get in there."

"But Nimbus, you said to save that for a later time!" Jaun said to me.

"Well this is different! Feel free to cut loose, Arc!"

"Jaun! It's too dangerous!" Pyrah objected.

"Let him go Pyrah. I originally wanted him to save this for when he went to spar with you again but desperate times call for desperate measures. Attention all response team! Stay out of Jaun's line of sight if you don't want to get flattened!"

"Did you train him in private?" Rin spoke up, obviously in a fight of his own, "I thought he had trouble accessing his aura."

"It's all in how you visualize it." As soon as I said that, a golden streak blasted through the wall of the building and into another. Weiss and I were blown away by the shock wave.

"What the hell?!" she complained.

"WOO-HOO-HOO! I taught him that!" I laughed in sheer joy.

"They're almost to their bullheads! Don't let them escape!" Blake commanded.

I heard a light chuckling behind me as Oblivion sat up, leaning on his elbow, "I got them." He coughed up a glob of blood before he pulled a detonator out of his jacket and pressed the button. _BOOM! _Four different explosions lit up the outside of the compound.

"You blew up the bullheads?" I turned to him.

"Like I was going to let those bastards get away for what they did to me. I hate them even more than the Schnee." Upon hearing this Weiss pinned him to the ground and slapped his cheek as hard as she could. Oblivion took it without even flinching.

"Tell me why!" she demanded, "What did we do to deserve this?!" a tail of a Deathstalker extended behind Weiss and hooked around her neck without hurting her.

"Are you really that oblivious to your father's dealings within the past few years? How many people, human and Faunus, died at Granite bark six years ago? Ask your father the true details and tell me why I really should take your life as recompense."

A squeak sounded off to his left as a little creature ran towards Oblivion. In response, Oblivion removed his tail and caught the creature on his shoulder.

"Grimm!" I said as I drew my bow and fired. Oblivion batted the shot away with the blunt side of one of his claws.

"Relax. He's harmless. This little slink has been my partner in crime ever since I was admitted to the lab. You did a good job out there Sly." The slink licked his cheek. Alright! I'll admit that no Grimm has ever looked that cute before. The roar of engines forced the slink to hide in Oblivion's jacket.

An Atlesian Militarty airship came in and dozens of drones dropped in to secure the White Fang.

"Alright, men we can take it from here. Excellent job!"

"Again with the flash entrance, James", Glenda Goodwitch said, "I'm collecting our groups and we're heading home."

A bullhead swooped in and landedright beside us and Oz stepped out to see us.

"Well, that was a rather surprising turn of events", he pushed up his glasses, "It's probably going to be a while before the Fang tries anything again." By now, most of the team had gone into the bullhead and were watching us.

"I have a vague idea that you were the monster from Maze's lab."

"I'm not denying it. I don't have anything else to hide", he retorted.

"I tapped into the radios and heard the whole conversation. I understand that you may feel like the victim in many ways, but that doesn't change the fact that you severely injured and almost killed dozens of people. However, there is no denying that your strength in combat is almost unparalleled", Oz helped him stand up and all of his Grimm features showed, "It would be such a waste to have someone like you locked away in prison."

"What are you insinuating old man?" Oblivion questioned.

"For starters, I'm not as old as I look. Two, I've been given the authority to let you choose your fate. Either you can spend years in prison in Atlas", then Oz gestured to the bullhead with his cane, "Or you can come to Beacon, and hone your abilities for a greater purpose. I don't think you'll get an offer like this from anyone else."

By now, everyone, was face faulting. I didn't want this guy at Beacon, specifically on **_my _**team. Oblivion was rather bewildered by this offer and stood still. Oz turned to go back to the bullhead when Oblivion responded. "Alright. I don't have anywhere else to go, so I might as well go."

"Then I wouldn't stand around there", Oz stepped into the Bullhead as it lifted off the ground, "You still have a bright future ahead of you, Oliver Eastman." Oblivion staggered upon hearing him. But he smiled as his mask dissolved, revealing a pair of eyes with bright red irises. He flipped out his wings, like a beetle, and flew up to the deck, where it all dissolved upon landing.

"So, now what?" Val asked as the door closed ant the ship took off, "Did we really just recruit a Grimm?"

"No, we have recruited a human. His powers may be Grimm based, but he is still human, and will be treated as such."

The newly named Oliver hesitated before he corrected him, "Sir, I'm not a human, I'm a half breed." A pair of pointy black antennae, sprang up from his hair which matched in color.

"Ooh! Let me see! Let me see!" Nora grabbed his antennae from behind and tackled him to the floor while he comically complained for her to stop. We all laughed.

"Case and point", Oz pointed out, "But in any case, Oliver's arrival marks a special day for three of you here." He motioned for my team and Oliver to step forward, facing him. He put his hands on the shoulders of me and Oliver, "This makes four, a full team. Nimbus Altos, Oliver Eastman, Valentine Vance, and Arcee Strauss. I am happy to welcome you fully to Beacon Academy. Together, you are now Team NOVA, led by Nimbus Altos! May your studies and exploits be used for the good of Vale and all of Remnant."

The other teams rushed forward to congratulate all of us. Oliver was probably not used to this sort of attention. We were all still very wary of him, and probobly would be for a little while.

But then I looked at myself. I was the team leader. True, we might be one of the most unusual teams that ever existed in the history of Huntsmen, but we might just be something great given time.

I just wish my father was around to see this.

(End of Chapter 8)

.

HEYOO! Beowulf is back!

I'm just glad that The situation didn't go as bad as I had thought. But don't go thinking that Oblivion...no, Oliver is going to be let off so easy. Ozpin and all of the staff at Beacon will be watching his every move, and Oliver knows it all too well. But I'm not questioning the Wizard of Oz's decision. He's a lot wiser than I'll ever know.

But I had the team name NOVA in my head ever since I decided to make 4 OC's instead of the original 2 (Nimbus and Oliver).

Back to Oliver, he most certainly not forgotten about what happened at Granite Bark six years ago, and I can guarantee that it will resurface whether any of us like it or not, but not in as violent a manner as before.

But on that happy note, it's time to go. I've got Exams this week and I'll be studying. So don't expect any new posts until after then.

But until then, this is Beowulf and the crew signing out!


	9. Chapter 9: If you take a Grimm to class

Chapter 9: When you take a Grimm to class

(Valentine)

I couldn't sleep last night, not with _him _in the same room as me. Oliver doesn't sleep, heck he doesn't even blink at night. Those eyes of his almost seem to glow in the dark. And we all knew that his powers had yet to be fully determined, and even now he was powerful enough to take out Schnee security and the White Fang at the same time.

Class started again the following morning, and he got dressed in his new uniform and arrived at Port's class just as the bell rang. He just sat there and listened attentively, without even a hint of emotion on his face and he didn't speak. And his aura...everyone but Port seemed to feel it. Not everyone knew his secret, but we all got the feeling that he was bad news. We all took a trip to the arena and port continued.

"Alright, now its time to put what you've learned to use. I'll need one volunteer." We all hated to go into the arena. Even Nimbus didn't like fighting the giant Grimm stored in the kennels. "Mr. Eastman", he called.

Oliver perked up, finally showing a brief flash of joy in his eyes. "Yes?"

"We haven't gotten the chance to witness your skills in battle. Would you care to show everyone how its done?"

"Gladly", he said grinning a little. A fuzzy black and white head popped out of his hood and squeaked to him. Everyone stepped back at the sight of the Grimm.

"Is that so?" he responded to its squeaking, "I'll be careful then. Ruby?" he called out to the red hooded girl who quietly and nervously stepped forward, "I trust you. Can you hold on to Sly for me? I don't want him getting hurt when I go in. I assure you that he's harmless. He doesn't even bite." No one spoke until Ruby nodded and Sly came out of his jacket sleeve, making himself comfortable in Ruby's hood. He peeked over her shoulder to watch the fight. He gingerly licked Ruby's cheek as he dropped into the arena.

_Did he just talk to a Grimm? _Oliver stood smack in the middle of the ring and he nodded to Port. On queue, the gates opened to reveal an Ursa Major. Oliver's eyes glittered, surprised that Port would go all out on the first round. This Ursa was at least twice as tall as him, but Oliver didn't flinch. In fact he casually walked towards the Grimm. The Grimm hesitated, wondering how his target could be so calm, but it eventually walked towards Oliver then going into an all out sprint.

"I don't get it", Arcee whispered to me and Nimbus, "I know he's got those powers, but he's not going to just reveal it to everyone. Why is he going in unarmed?"

The Ursa swiped at Oliver and he casually limbo ducked then back flipped a short distance back. "Slow", the Ursa charged and he stepped aside, "Sloppy", he stopped the next strike with a simple backhand to the Grimm's face. It staggered back and roared at him. "Not to mention clumsy."

"Stop messing around!" Yang yelled at him, "Fight him!"

"Don't rush perfection Hot Shot. Who says you have to go in guns blazing like you always do? I'm having fun at my own pace", he said. Yang practically exploded, flames engulfing her hair.

"Let me at that little punk! I'll roast you alive!" she raged at him and RWBY and NOVA had to forcefully stop her from jumping in the arena herself. That was very uncharacteristic of her. But hey, I do recall the two having a very hostile first encounter.

Oliver sighed, ducking under another strike, "You officially took the fun out of this match, Blondie. No choice but to finish now." With a flash of black, the Ursa's left arm was severed upon swinging. It was Oliver's claws, and he had taken them out and hidden them too fast for anyone to see what happened. He flickered right in front of the Grimm and scissor sliced at the its neck. The Grimm fell to the ground, first the head, then the body. Carefully, Oliver walked back and dragged the severed paw over to the Ursa's body and head and knelt beside it, whispering something. The Grim began to evaporate, but instead of disappearing, the particles drifted over to Oliver sinking into his skin until he had practically consumed the entire Grimm! And I swear I saw him lick his lips as he finished. He stood up to face the group.

"I hope that that little teddy bear wasn't the best you had in you kennels, Professor Port", he said to our mentor. Yang had stopped her rage and stumbled backwards at Oliver's show of power.

"Um..that will be all we'll require of you today. Thank you Mr. Eastman." Oliver nodded with satisfaction and tried to climb out of the arena, but he stumbled in an attempt to climb the steps. I quickly rushed over to him to help him up. I know he was freaky in many ways, but he was still my team mate.

"Are you okay?" I asked as I tried to help him up. But he would barely budge.

"I'm alright", he panted, "I just put on a few hundred pounds. It'll go away in an hour or so."

"How about I lighten you load?" I held his shoulder and activated my semblance, decreasing gravity's pull on both of us. He snapped upright in an instant as the sudden change in weight surprised him. But he still struggled a little under his weight.

"Okay, maybe half a ton", he admitted, then looked back to me with a blush and said, "T-t-thank you."

I helped him walk over to the wall where he could safely sit down while he healed up.

"How did you do that?" I asked him.

"Huh?"

"You know, when the Grimm dissolved." Nimbus and Arcee crowded around to listen.

He smiled, still pained, but still a smile, "It was exactly what it looked like. I absorbed the Grimm's remains. If what I read about my designs is correct, I evolve with each one I...consume. The only downside is that I'm left weighed down by the Grimm's own weight for an hour afterwards. So I can only afford to use that trick after a fight. I'll just need some time to rest."

We just stared at him, leading him to ask "Don't you guys think it's...weird?"

"Of course we think it's weird! Who wouldn't!" Nimbus pointed out, "But it was freaking awesome!"

Oliver perked up suddenly, "You mean it?"

"Well, yeah!" I picked up, "I mean you just broke the laws of nature and reversed the food chain!"

Ruby started giggling as Sly began crawling around licking her face, "Okay! That's enough! Stop it!" she said in between giggles, before she handed him back to Oliver.

"Sly, where in the name of Mother Grimm have your manners gone? I told you at least a dozen times how that isn't polite."

Sly squeaked in response and Oliver closed his eyes and smiled.

"I know what you mean man. I got a dose of that not long ago." He yawned and rested his head, "I'll be up once my stomach settles", he whispered, and for the first time since I knew him, he slept. A grin of satisfaction spread on his lips.

.

(Arcee)

It was lunch time again, on my first official day of class, and I sat down with team NOVA, minus Oliver who was still recovering.

I know what you're thinking. "Aren't you a...robot? I didn't really think that robots needed to eat." Well there is a big difference between a robot and synthian. I have organs like any human, but they are made out of a material that is half organic and half mechanical. I do need to eat.

We ate in silence until I decided to get something off my mind.

"Doesn't anyone find it strange?" I asked.

"What?" Nimbus and Val said at once.

"I mean, you guys saw what Oliver was like as Oblivion; all the destruction he caused, all the people he hurt. Then all of a sudden he comes here and he's almost...friendly. I began to think, what if he really does have two personalities, one half breed, and one Grimm. Maybe his Grimm half appears whenever he becomes stressed, like before."

We got up to pick up our plates and we walked past Cardin's table. He was talking to some other teams about the latest addition to Beacon and stopped only when we walked past.

"Well look! It's traveling freak show", Cardin snickered.

"Shut up Winchester", Nimbus said walking past him, "We don't want to deal with your talk today."

"Says the huntsman who can't use Dust."

Nimbus stopped in his tracks, "Who told you that?"

"It's all over school. You couldn't hide it even if you tried. An now Oliver, he's the big kicker. That kid is too freaking weird. Someone with his powers doesn't belong here."

Nimbus snapped. He whirled around and approached Cardin with his right sword out.

"I'm getting really tired of your first year psyche school bull crap, Cardin! I could care less what our powers are so long as we can fight as a team!"

Valentine and I had to forcefully hold him back.

"Aw, you have to rely on your girls to save you from getting hurt.

"Let me go!" he growled, "Just one scar on his shoulder! He won't feel a thing!"

"Cardin! Nimbus!" a voice barked, making all of us freeze. Glenda Goodwitch stood right behind Carter with a clipboard in hand.

"I heard everything Mr. Winchester. If you have a problem with the student selection, feel free to take it up with Professor Ozpin. Otherwise, keep your insults to yourself. Do I make myself clear, Cardin?"

Cardin stood up straight and hesitated before he replied, "Crystal clear."

"And YOU, Mr. Altos!" she pointed her pen at me, "You know that you are not to draw your weapon at another student unless you are in the arena!" There was a long silence. "Cardin, you and your team please leave the cafeteria. Nimbus, you and your team come with me." She walked away and we all looked at each other.

"NOW!" her wand slapped the top of the table and we all darted out of the cafeteria. We stopped once we were out of sight of anyone.

But Mrs. Goodwitch smiled, "Sorry guys. I had to make it realistic." She spoke with two voices and her form flickered into none other than Oliver Eastman!

"You sorry son of a Grimm!" Valentine sighed with relief, "You almost gave me a heart attack!"

I walked forward. "You saved us! But why?"

"Why wouldn't I? You guys are my team. I can't just let you guys go through that sort of trouble." There was a pause before he continued, "Thank you, Nimbus."

He looked confused, "Me?"

"Yes. When Cardin started trash talking about me, you were the one to stand up and fight for me. It's just that no one has ever done that for me before."

"I'm still a little skeptical", I confessed.

"I didn't expect you to say otherwise", he sighed, "Look, I know that my actions over the past few days were dangerous, almost deadly. But I wasn't in the right frame of mind. I know you all thought I was a monster, don't deny it. But in truth...I even began to think I was a monster too, and it consumed me. But you guys helped me to realize that under this...shell, I'm still a half breed all the same."

"Look, we're glad to hear that", I spoke up, "But how do we know that you're really with us though?"

Oliver walked a few steps away and looked at us over his shoulder, "Do you know why the Grimm were so successful, why they are so widespread now?" the question surprised us, "While it is true that they have an insatiable desire to kill humans and Faunus alike, there is one good trait that the Grimm have always had. Grimm will always fight to protect one another. No matter what, they will never leave a fellow Grimm behind. They will stick together in sickness, health, and in injury and they will even sacrifice themselves to save their comrades. All Grimm must follow this 'code'", turning back to us he asked us, "Tell me, do you see this trait in all Faunus and all humans?"

He had us there. If there was one thing that the humans and Faunus lacked, it was the race-wide will to protect each other. There would always be one person who offered resistance.

"Fighting against your comrades will lead to a tragic downfall, one way or another. I know that I haven't exactly followed this myself over the past few days. I guess it's just a matter of finding out who your allies are. And right now...I just don't have anyone else to turn to. That's why I want to start out on a clean slate. No hard feelings?"

We were all taken aback by what he had to say. And Valentine stepped forward and put her hand in the middle of the circle. Nimbus followed suit, as did I.

Oliver smiled as his antennae sprang up from beneath his hair and he put his hand in the middle, "Thanks guys."

"You know what?" Nimbus said, "How about a NOVA on three? One! Two! Three!"

But before any of us could cheer, a golden blur tackled Oliver and they rolled into the woods.

"NOVA!" Oliver cheered, "It's alright guys! I got it!"

"Do you think we should help him?" Nimbus asked anyway.

"Nah", I replied, "If Oliver says he's got it, he's got it. We have to trust him."

.

(Oliver)

I love using that Impostor semblance, especially when you use it against bullies like Cardin.

I know that my attitude may have changed suddenly, but that was the anger of a Grimm that was in me. Right? So maybe my time at Beacon could be fun.

But the situation I was in now, was certainly not fun.

I rolled down the hill and landed on my feet as my favorite blonde landed in front of me.

"Not cool Yang. My team and I were having a moment!"

"You didn't think I was going to let you off the hook after you trash talked me in the ring? I'm just here to give you a piece of my mind!" her hair began to glow.

"Aren't you worried in the slightest after what I did to that Grimm?" I asked.

"Why should I? Like a little danger ever scared me. I live for danger! I **_BURN _**for danger! And now it's time to get fired up!", she roared as she smashed her gauntlets together and the area around her exploded in flame. The flames suddenly converged around her and exploded in a continuous pillar of raw power!

"That's more like it", I hissed, "I love doing this!" The air around me was suddenly filled with Grimm matter and turned into a black pillar of the same nature. I felt like a Super Saiyan!

Our powers died down and we met in a clash of metal. I opened up with a blender strike (360* spin with 3 separate strikes), followed immediately by an uppercut. Yang managed to block each of them and countered with two shots. We got in close and locked arms, struggling to hold ground.

"Your fighting style and aura are remarkable!" I grunted.

"You won't be saying that in a moment!" she said as she broke our lock and I tried to swipe low. but she anticipated that, stepping on the blade, jumping and proceeded into a flying kick to my face. She didn't miss. I was sent tumbling end over end for at least thirty feet before my claws slowed me down. But Yang was right there again and I was nailed in the face by an explosive right hook, slamming me into the trunk of a live oak. She pinned me down. She almost fired one last shot, but I stopped her.

"Duck!" I yelped as a nevermore feather shot down from the sky and impaled the tree right where Yang was a moment ago. dozens of roars and growls followed.

"Back to back!" Yang snapped out of her rage. I whipped out my tail so as to grab hold of Yang and bring her back to back with me.

"What's going on?!" I asked as we were surrounded by four Boarbatusks, five Ursas, eight Beowolves, and a Giant Nevermore.

"It was that little show off session. Those bursts of aura called in every Grimm within a square mile of here!" Yang said as she checked her weapons.

"Do you have a plan?" I said, then snarled at a Boarbatustk that tried to get too close.

"Alright, the Heavy hitters are the Ursas and the Boarbatusks. My recoil semblance should take any blunt damage. You're faster, so you can dodge the Beowolves. And..." she trailed off.

"What?" I said until I caught the size of that Nevermore.

"That thing has to be at least twice as big as the one from Emerald Forest!" Yang said, "Don't even bother fighting that one. We need to take out the others and haul butt out of here!"

"I have a better idea. I'll clear out the Boarbatusks, while you get the others. After I'm done there I'll distract the Nevermore", I said.

"You're insane! That thing will eat you alive!"

I rushed forward and took out two Boarbatusks, "I was insane enough to accept the offer to go to Beacon."

"True." we darted off to our targets. I was rather surprised to learn that Boarbatusks can go into rolling attacks. A quick uppercut and a cross strike were enough to bring down my Grimm. But I left one wounded. I needed to save that one for after this match.

I stabbed a Beowolf in the back with my tail and yelled, "Yang! I'm going up!" My wings sprang out and I took to the skies. This nevermore was the size of a jumbo jet and it's mask was marked by a ragged red scar over its missing left eye. It must have been centuries old! I landed on the back of its neck and dragged my blades down its back. Blood spewed out but the beast refused to go down.

I began to desperately swipe at the beast but it was no use. This was the one Grimm that I was not prepared to beat. It was just too big! The Nevermore barrel rolled, flinging me off its back and into the abyss below.

"Oliver! I'm done! Let's get out of here!" Yang called.

I flew down and picked up the unconscious Boarbatusk, and walked over to an empty cave that Sly had scouted out for me. But yang started to run the other way.

"Yang stop!" I yelled, "You'll never make it!" But it was too late. The nevermore had spotted Yang from the sky and fired off a round of feather spears. Yang tried to dodge, but was stabbed through her right hip. She screamed and fell to the ground as I watched on in horror.

"NO!" I screamed. I flew back to got her back into the cave, out of the Nevermore's line of sight.

"What in the name of the Mother Grimm were you thinking?!" I scolded her, "Now we're trapped in here until that thing goes away!"

"That doesn't matter now. Why did you save me?" she raised her voice.

My eyes glowed red and I yelled at her in anger, "BECAUSE I AM NOT ONE OF THEM!" I gestured outside. At that moment the Nevermore's beak poked through the entrance and nearly reached us.

"Hold on! I got you!" I said as I picked her up in a bridal carry and brought her a hundred feet deeper into the cave where there was a natural spring. Sly chirped, confirming that this cave was uninhabited by Grimm.

The feather spear was still in Yang's right hip. Pulling it out on the spot would have ensured our deaths. That's why we were postponed in the removal.

"Alright,hold still", I gently laid Yang down on my coat, so she rested on her left side, "I'm going to try and remove the feather. Okay? Whatever you do, don't look down." She nodded telling me to go.

I pulled it out an inch and she screamed in pain, "Stop it! Stop it! It hurts!" she began to curl up a little.

I sighed, "I'm afraid that we have no other choice. At least the stem of the feather is smooth. It should come off easy." I walked over to the spring and covered the remaining spear in a handful of water, to make it slippery.

"Now, I'm going to try and remove it again. This time I want you to pinch the side of your neck as hard as you can. Your body will be so focused on the sting there that you shouldn't realize when I try to remove the feather. Tell me when you're ready."

"Alright, you can go."

I didn't start right away this time. Instead I waited five seconds before I removed part of the feather. But she yelped, forcing me to stop again.

"Cant' we just wait for a minute?" she tried to catch her breath.

"Alright, I'll try again in two minutes." Yang relaxed. But I wasn't going to give her that much time. I was left with one more option but I did not want to do it. I would have to wait till later.

"So how long do you think we'll be stuck down here? Oliver? EEEEK!" she screamed, not in pain, but rather surprise. I really don't want to say it but...while she wasn't paying attention, I sneaked up on her, grabbed her right breast, and gave it a good squeeze.

"Let go of me, you little pervert!" she yelled, but her body trembled, unable to fight back.

"And done!" I let her go and walked into her view with the bloodied feather spear in hand. Yang was left speechless for a moment as she tried to touch the place where it was before.

"How did you do that?! I didn't feel anything!" Yang said as her shock faded.

"I just had to scare you", I replied, "When I...did that, you were so shocked and surprised that you completely forgot about the over-sized splinter in your hip. So I was able to slip it out without causing you any pain. My late cousin told me that when she was in boot camp, the medic used the same method to remove a bullet from her thigh. You were just...naturally better suited for that method. Please don't take it the wrong way." I blushed and looked away nervously. There was a squeak beside me and I saw Sly carrying in what looked like his third trip of sticks and firewood.

"Sly! You ingenious little rodent, you!" I scratched him behind the ear, just the way he likes it, "Yang, it might get dark soon and I doubt we'll fare much better if we make our way back now. We'll have to stay here for tonight. You you have any Dust? Burn, perhaps?"

She reached into her bag, strapped to her belt and pulled out a Red Dust crystal the size of a small water bottle, "Yeah. Weiss always has us carry at least one around with us. But what use is it here?" she tossed it to me.

"Do you remember how Dust reacts to a person's semblance? Like whenever Blake makes a hologram of herself, she can make it into a different element, depending on the crystals she uses. The same applies to my impostor semblance. Watch." I performed a partial change, only this time, my right hand caught on fire. So I grabbed the wood with my bare hand for a moment, let it into the fire pit, and deactivated my semblance. Now the wood was on fire. I tossed the crystal back to Yang.

"I can only hold that for about ten seconds at a time, but I'm trying to improve it." I said as I walked back to the entrance of the cave and officially killed that Boarbatusk. I quickly dragged its body over to the fire and consumed its remains as it evaporated. An instant later I was hit by the Grimm's weight, not near as bad as before, but I still struggled to hold myself up.

"I don't get it", Yang said, "Why do you do that?"

"Well," I started, "It's just who I am. Marcus said to his coworkers before I left that I was meant to be an Anti-Grimm. And since the Grimm are changing all the time, I have to keep up by evolving on my own. I have to use the remains of a Grimm of course. It's like a second semblance", I paused before I crawled over to Yang and sat up beside her, "Yang, I do have a way that I can close up that wound of yours right here and now, but there will be permanent side effects."

"What is it?"

I took a deep breath before I told her, "While I'm in this state, I haven't exactly...consumed the Grimm yet. I still have its Grimm matter inside, and for the next hour, its mine to control. Using Grimm matter, I can use it to repair or replace damaged tissue, either on myself or another person. I can apply some to your wound and I can have you fully healed in just a few moments."

"So you plan to use Grimm parts to repair me?" Yang said in slight disgust.

"Well...yes. Don't get the wrong idea though, it will function as your own muscle and will adapt to your genetic code. Once the application is done, you will have a full range of motion like nothing ever happened."

"You said that there was a downside, a permanent side effect", Yang reminded me.

"Well, it's more of an aesthetic side effect", I clarified, "Using this technique will leave a permanent dark purple mark over the wound, like a tattoo." I pulled up my sleeve to reveal a mark left when I tried to heal myself. That was before I realized that my wounds could heal automatically without leaving a trace.

"Oh, I was worried it'd be something worse. A tattoo I can handle. Alright, you have my permission." I smiled in reply and slowly extended one of my claws.

"Alright, squeeze my wrist as hard as you can. This is going to sting for a moment." She did and I yelped as she almost broke my wrist, "On second thought, squeeze you gauntlet."

I extended my claw and carefully traced the wound. The tip emitted a small streamer of black smoke as dark purple Grimm matter formed over the wound. Yang, winced, enduring the sting until I finished the wound on her back. Now I had to finish the exit wound,at the front.

"You okay?" I asked her, and she nodded without a word. So I continued, and soon the exit wound was sealed, "Alright, I have one last application to make: internal injuries. This one will sting a little more, so tell me when you're ready." In response she threw her arms around me and held me tight.

"Ready", she said, a little more confidently. I placed my hand on her right hip. But I got distracted by that sudden touch of skin and I gently stroked her hip. Yang _really _had some amazing curves.

"What are you doing? You're supposed to be healing me." She snapped me out of my daydream.

"Oh! Sorry! It's just that...never mind. Here I go." I began the final application and Yang squeezed me tight, almost enough to make me lose my focus. But I completed the process in due time and let out a heavy sigh of relief. "Okay, now you can look down."

I helped Yang stand up, but I actually felt a little bit lighter. Finally she looked down at her hip and went wide two wounds were a pair of golf ball sized holes colored dark purple, and were connected by a line of said color just thicker than a number two pencil. Smack in the middle of it, Outlined by that obsidian color, was a golden flame, Yang's emblem.

"I thought it would be more rugged than that", she said tracing her hand over the marking.

"That was something of a personal touch", I confessed, scratching the back of my head, "I figured that if you're going to be marked there, it might as well look good. Just a little extra Grimm Matter along with...a little something else." I stopped and grabbed my tail as I felt the burning from the very tip. Yang's expression softened when she put the pieces together.

"You used a part of your own tail? Why? Why do that for me?" she asked.

"Look, I can just use another Deathstalker to heal fully. But that's what I made your emblem out of, a piece of my own Grimm Matter."

I heard a scratching at the front of the cave as the Nevermore tried to stick its head in.

"I'll be right back", I growled as I walked back to the front of the cave. "BUZZ OFF!" I stung it with my tail, forcing the giant to back away.

"Stupid overgrown chicken", I muttered to myself walking back to Yang.

"You should get some sleep", Yang said keeping very close to the fire, "I'll take the first watch."

"No need. Sly has it under control. If any Grimm comes close to the cave he can drive it away", I assured her.

"Great, Now I have to place my life in the paws of yet another Grimm", Yang muttered.

"Yang you have to trust me this time! Grimm thrive in the dark. Even with my Faunus half I could barely see them."

"Yeah, but I still don't trust you. Not after what you almost did to my sister", she growled at me, her eyes flickering red for just a moment.

"So you want to play that game? I don't entirely trust you because you have proven to be a loose cannon on three occasions thus far. I don't want you to go out and get yourself killed like you almost did before. In fact, I'm not even giving you the chance." Upon saying that, I dashed over and tackled her, we rolled over ten feet, and by that point, both of us were wrapped up nice and snug by my Deathstalker tail. It wasn't too tight, but I made sure that she wouldn't be able to move.

"You jerk! What was that for?!" she yelled at me.

"I'm making sure that you don't leave in the middle of the night. Like I said, I don't trust you. Besides, you owe me for saving your life. And I haven't forgotten when you attacked me out of the blue twice." I began to wrap my arms around Yang's hips, gently caressing her curves, "I...just don't want the effort I put into saving you to go to waste. If you stay here tonight, I promise that we'll get out of here alive. In the meantime, I'd like to cash in on that debt you owe me." With that said, I smiled to her before leaning in and giving her a light kiss on the lips.

At first Yang went wide eyed with shock and her breathing halted for a moment. But as I held us together for a little longer, her expression changed to shy but blissful. But I pulled away after a few seconds. I never accounted for just deliciously perfect her lips would be. They were extremely soft and were perfectly warm.

And it left me wanting more. But Yang beat me to the punch.

"Just a little more", she whispered while breathing heavy She moved one of my hands down from her hips and just on the small of her back, and the other one to the side of her left breast, nodding lightly. I lightly squeezed, now feeling her heartbeat. "A little more", she said as she hungrily cupped my lips with hers, tilting her head as much as possible.

That shyness she showed before was gone and was now replaced by hunger. For me no less. She immediately explored with her tongue and I eventually found myself doing the same. Her arms wrapped around me and she even undulated with each movement we made in the kiss.

So this was the real Yang that I've heard about. Sweet, outgoing, joyful, and above all, passionate.

I wouldn't mind staying here for a little while longer.

(End of Chapter 9)

.

Beowulf is back!

Well, Oliver has officially left me at a loss for words in so many ways. It makes me wish I was in his position right now.

Now as I said before, I won't get the chance to do much writing over the next couple of days, so I made this chapter extra long for you guys.

By the way, once I can come back to writing, I'm considering creating another story for Fairy Tail. If you think this is a good idea, please give me some feedback via PM.

Back to _Wings of Remnant, _I'm looking for someone to make a cover for this story. The OC's are counting on the talented artists who may be reading.

And as always, please review, follow, favorite, and above all, tell your fellow RWBY fans! Only if you want to of course.

And above all, thank you all for reading and for making _Wings of Remnant _my most successful story yet! I couldn't have done it without you!

Until next time!


	10. Chapter 10: The Legend I Hunted

Chapter 10: The Legend I Hunted

(Valentine)

I couldn't sleep last night. Again. But it wasn't because Oliver was here. It's because he wasn't there. He didn't show up at all last night. He wouldn't even answer his radio. We begged Ozpin to let us go and look for him, but he reminded us that if we went out there at night, we'd be found by the Grimm in a matter of minutes.

It wasn't until morning that we realized that Yang from team RWBY was gone as well. So we st down at breakfast and talked it over.

"Maybe they didn't make it", Nimbus worried.

"Hey, It's Oliver and Yang we're talking about", Arcee said, "If anyone has even a chance of surviving at night, it's them."

"No one ever said that they'd help each other", I pointed out, "The last we saw of the two was when Yang sucker-punched Oliver. They might have fought each other to exhaustion. Really I don't want to admit it but it is very possible that their apparent rivalry led to some disastrous results."

"Look I know it was after curfew, but why wouldn't they let us go out and at least take a look?" Arcee questioned.

"That's only because they realized that Grimm Boy is a lost cause", Cardin said walking past our table, "Like I said, someone of his kind doesn't belong here. And I don't care if Ozpin allowed it, that freak carries a Grimm around as a pet!"

Nimbus pounded the table with his fist and got up, "All right, that's it!"

"Nimbus! Don't do it!" I tried to stop our leader but he approached Cardin.

"Finally, you're not holding back", Cardin prepared to fight, but Nimbus just kept walking until Cardin threw a punch. Nimbus casually dodged it.

"Step aside", he growled quietly as the off-balance Cardin was shoved aside by an open palm. Nimbus just walked past him to the door.

"That's it? That's all you're gonna do?" Cardin mocked.

"I'm not going to waste my time with you. You're not even worth fighting. And I'm going to have a word with Ozpin, mind you", he let those words sink in. But I beat him to the stairwell to the clock tower.

"I'll talk to him. You're a little on edge as it is." I used my semblance to jump all the way to the top of the spiral steps to the top. But Miss Goodwitch stopped me at the door.

"Miss Vance, Professor Ozpin isn't..." she trailed off as I walked past her.

The doors were locked, but I pulled out Merlin, slashed down the crack between them and broke the lock.

"Professor!" I barked after I flung open the doors. I saw that Ozpin was in fact in the middle of a meeting with a man with black hair with a streak of grey.

"Ah, Princess Valentine Vance. I heard that you were here", the man said. I recognized him as Commander James Ironwood of the Atlesian military.

"Valentine, now is not an appropriate time. We're discussing urgent matters right now", Ozpin said.

"I'll tell you what's an urgent matter!" I said sternly, "Why have we been denied permission to search for Oliver and Yang?"

"I cannot disclose that now, it's too dangerous."

"And I will not tolerate my friends being lost out there if such is truly the case!" snapped.

Ozpin stood up abruptly startling me, "Valentine, do you think I want that to happen? Do you think we have a choice right now?" he raised his voice a little, "If the situation were any different I would have sent you out last night to search for them. But the situation may be far more dangerous than we are prepared to face."

"Then tell me why!" I snapped back, "Ozpin, if the situation out there is _that _dire, then it might pose a threat to Mistral! And as such I speak to you not as your student, but as the heir the Mistralian throne! Tell me what's wrong! Why was nothing done?!"

After a short pause, Ironwood spoke up, "I think it would be best to tell her. I mean, you called _me_ here from Atlas. If a member of Mistral's royal family is here, even Valentine, they deserve to know."

"And not just her", the doors swung open to reveal the rest of teams NOVA, RWBY, and JNPR, led by Arcee, "We're all getting tired of being held here without an explanation. Either you can tell us why we can't, or we're taking action."

Ozpin sighed, now clearly left with no choice but to come clean, "I'm sure that you all know of Atlesian military presence in Vale. But starting yesterday afternoon, the patrol drones have been disappeared over a place a few miles into the emerald forest, then an entire UAV strike ship disappeared at high altitudes. Finally we sent in a mid-sized manned battleship, they vanished without a trace! At the present time, the cause is still unknown, but we've successfully determined that Yang and Oliver disappeared into that same area. You see, we can't just go blindly into this, and possibly make the situation worse. We plan on making our move the moment that we can get an unmanned visual, or at least some idea of what we're up against. We can't afford the possibility of losing anyone else."

As soon as he said that, there was a scratch on the glass behind him and one of the windows of the clock tower office opened. A tiny black and white creature scurried out, heading for the desk.

"Grimm! Everybody back!" Ironwood barked to us as he took out his gun and took aim. But I used Merlin to blast it out of his hands.

"Stop! That's Sly, Oliver's pet slink!" I said picking the creature up.

"You allow one of your students to shelter a Grimm?!" Ironwood turned to Ozpin.

"Oliver is quite a peculiar boy, to say the least. They both grew up in Maze's laboratory and they both appeared to be very attached to each other. I'm pretty sure that Sly might be genetically modified. But he has proven before to be an intelligent little fellow", Ozpin explained.

Sly then leaped out of my hands and onto the desk where he found the radio transmitter. He climbed on top, sniffed the air, and turned the antenna forty-five degree's to the right using his nose. He reached down and clawed at the dial to change the frequency. He found one that had the least static, sniffed the air again, then tapped the antenna two degrees to the left. A voice could be heard, becoming clearer as Sly fixed the frequency.

"This is Oliver and Yang, calling Beacon Academy. Do you read, Beacon?" It was Oliver! They survived!

"Oliver! Thank dust you're still alive!" I rushed over and responded.

"Alright!" he cheered, "Good boy, Sly! I'm going to get you your choice of a treat once we can get out of this place."

"Oliver, this is Ozpin. What happened?"

"Yang and I were sparring out here and we were ambushed by a hoard of Grimm. Yang was wounded in battle, so we had to take shelter in a cave. She's fully healed now", Oliver reported.

"Mr. Oliver, this is Ironwood, from the Atlesian military. Yesterday we suddenly lost several scout drones in your airspace. Right now, you're our eyes on the inside. Did you see anything that could have done it?"

"Yep, in fact that's why Yang was injured in the first place, and why we're still holed up in this cave. Yang was shot by a giant Nevermore, unlike anything I've ever seen! It has to be eight stories tall at least! And it's been waiting outside the cave ever since we hid in here!"

Nimbus' head turned to the radio with a concerned look and rushed in to take control, "Nimbus here. Oliver, what exactly does this one look like? Any distinguishing features?"

"Yeah. There are missing patches of feathers on its chest because of some nasty looking scars, and its wings have some dangerous looking claws on the last joint. Finally, its mask is missing a decent chunk on the left side, and there's a scar on the same side where its left eye should have been."

Nimbus' eyes widened and the blood drained from his face. Then he went stern and said, "Oliver, be prepared to get your butts back to Beacon on my mark. I'm on my way." He gripped his gauntlets tight and went for the door.

"Wait! Where are you going?!" I said.

"Where else? I'm going to fight it", he replied bluntly.

"Let's go then!" Arcee rushed forward but Nimbus whipped out one of his blades and pointed it at her.

"No. There is no _'we'_ this time. I must fight alone", he growled.

"Don't be stupid!" I told him, "Going at it alone is suicide! You don't know what you're up against!"

"If I don't fight this thing on my own, then I will have failed!" he snapped.

His face darkened, "I have a personal vendetta against this Grimm. " I saw a flash from within his coat. He grabbed the side and flipped it at us like a matador's cape and a gale force wind blew all of us backwards, except for Ozpin who had ducked behind his desk.

I tried to get out from under the dog pile, but by the time I stood up, Nimbus was at the treeline, speeding outside the boundaries of Beacon. A gale of starry feathers blew behind him.

"Hurry!" Ruby sped ahead, "We have to stop him!"

.

(Nimbus)

I hated to do that to my friends back there, but I had to do this alone. The moment I heard Oliver's description of the Grimm I knew that it was the one I had searched for. Insomnia, the Grimm who slayed my childhood hero, Boreas. And now, the monster finally showed itself, after disappearing for thirteen years.

I had made a vow that I would be the one to kill the Nevermore and finish the fight that Boreas started years ago. I might not ever get another chance to fight it.

Then I looked at Pluto. In all truth and honesty, the weapon wasn't entirely mine. It was made using some of the original parts of Boreas' own bow, Apollo. He passed down the broken weapon to me and I re-used the parts to build an even stronger weapon. He had faith in me, that's why he gave my his bow.

That's why I knew I could win.

I put on my Grimm mask, as I always dreamed of doing if this day ever came.

Finally I reached the cliff side that Oliver described. That bird was close. I took in a deep breath and used my Halcyon mock voice to let out an authentic nevermore screech, but slightly higher pitched. A much deeper screech responded.

A set of claws the size of a truck reached up from the cliff and almost skewered me. And at last, Insomnia showed himself. This thing was a lot bigger than I thought it would be. It looked me over an then narrowed its one right eye at the sight of Pluto. He recognized it as the former weapon of his late rival.

I dashed forward and Insomnia swiped with one wing to fire a round of feather spears. I snapped out my wings and dodged with ease. I pulled one out of the ground and threw it forward like a javelin, immediately followed by a second. They embedded themselves in its chest, but it used its claws to pull them out, and I saw that they weren't bloodied. It didn't even touch his skin beneath those feathers.

He then took both feathers, one in each hand, and stabbed them into the ground. He then slammed them both to the side. The feathers pried up a large portion of the ground, like an over-sized crowbar. Insomnia then picked his end up and heaved it forward, a wall of rock was now flying at me.

This thing wasn't just strong, it was intelligent.

I sliced through the flying rubble, but failed to notice that Insomnia was speeding along right behind it all! His mask slammed into me in a massive head-butt that sent me tumbling backwards. While I rolled, Pluto changed back into bow form and I fired at his heart. He used his beak to slap away the shot.

He crouched low, folding up his outer fold of his wing. Suddenly, a feather the size of his forearm sprang from his wrist and he slashed forward. I met it with my own blades. _BOOM! _They made contact. He was holding out! But I realized that this feather was evolved to be a blade, like a giant sword. Sparks flew from my swords as they tried to cut through unsuccessfully, even when my aura powered up the cutting abilities to such an extent. Insomnia pulled back and swung at me in full strength, launching me backwards. I back flipped twice to slow down and I snapped open my wings once I flew over the cliff. I jetted upwards.

I noticed that as I fought him, Insomnia was actually growing smarter in our fight. He must have remembered how Boreas fought, and deduced that I would use a very similar fighting style. He was right. But I had one trick that Boreas couldn't do. I would need to hold him off for one minute longer.

Insomnia came after me, firing feathers at me from time to time before I went up into the low hanging mist above one of the mountain peaks. He was close behind.

Once we reached the center, I turned right on a dime, spiraled around him with my blades, and disappeared. I saw his blood on my blades; a direct hit!

I charged up my feathers and flapped at him. My Stardust flight feathers sent off crescent shaped arcs of energy hurtling towards the Grimm, hitting him from behind. He screeched in pain and anger as I kept firing at him for this direction and that. A bright red light flashed in the fog, giving off Insomnia's silhouette. He roared, and a beam of energy blasted out of his mouth and he swept it to the right narrowly missing my feet.

"Whoa! I did _not _see that one coming!", I reeled. Twenty seconds left.

A loud voice rang out, "Show yourself, hero!" He spoke. This Grimm was smart enough to learn human and faunus language!

Time was up!

I flew beneath him and fired one last round of Crescent Lights. He roared and opened his mouth to fire once more.

I was beginning to doubt myself. But I reminded myself of who fought beside me in spirit: Boreas. I had to end it now!

"Die running!" Insomnia screeched before I pulled back on my bow for the last time. An arrow formed, now flickering with color brighter and more energetic than ever before. The arrow rocketed away with a loud chirping noise that echoed off the mountains. A colorful flash filled the sky as Insomnia was hit far above me, screaming. Another bright red explosion flashed as Insomnia lost control of his energy beam charge-up and the ball exploded in his face.

No one could have survived them both.

I slowly drifted back to the ground, alone. It was finally over, but I couldn't do it alone, as I said I would. Boreas was there in spirit. Is he hadn't left me with his bow I could never have come so far.

I walked away hiding my wings. Then I heard a faint whistling sound in the air. I ignored it until it began to turn into a screech, growing higher in pitch my the second. I looked around frantically to see where it was coming from. Then I looked up.

It was Insomnia! He was still alive! More than that, he was angry! He was diving at me with his wings tucked like a falcon before exiting his dive, coming at me with blinding speeds. His feather blades extended, one on each arm, and he went into a rapid spin before he sliced at me with both at once. as full force. I met him with my blades with only a second to react and he hit me with full force. The impact jarred me, but I kept my footing.

"Your hatred is strong, as are you", the Grimm hissed at me, "Hatred, sorrow, fear, anger, it all only makes me stronger!"

_I have to win. I have to! _I focused all of my aura into Pluto. I made him stronger, I made him sharper, I made him a part of me.

"RRRAAAAAAAAAAAAUUUGGGGH!" I howled in determination. Insomnia reared back his head, then struck the back of his blades with the hard of his mask to give him one last burst of strength. I was sent flying back. Then I heard something dreadful that slowed time and made all else in the world go absolutely silent.

With a loud _CRACK-SHING _that echoed throughout the mountains and forever echoes in my mind, Pluto shattered.

I slammed into the rock wall and my Stardust flight feathers shattered, embedding shrapnel into my back. One single large piece pierced through me just bellow the rib cage, pinning me there in place. I screamed in agony as the pain hit me. But it was the mental and emotional pain that hurt even more than that spike.

I had lost Boreas' weapon and the Stardust crystals a had been destroyed with the gauntlets and blades themselves. I failed to kill Insomnia. My childhood dream, shattered.

But most of all. I had failed Boreas; I had failed my own father.

"I'm sorry...Dad."

.

(Oliver)

I understand that Yang and I were in mortal danger that night. I never imagined that something as pleasant as this could ever come out of it.

Yet, there we were last night, luxuriating in the embrace of each other for hours on end (teetering in between first and second base, mind you). And when we finally decided to go to sleep in the coils of my tail, Yang had generously allowed me to use her as a pillow. The next morning, I had woken up to the pleasant sensation of Yang's luscious lips and tongue passionately exploring my mouth. Wonderful way to start the morning.

After that last exchange we contacted Beacon using the radios, and waited for Nimbus' mark.

"Before anything else," Yang spoke, "If you ever tell a living soul about what happened last night, I'll roast you alive. And this doesn't mean that I'll let you do that to me again."

"Don't worry. I'm completely satisfied in terms of the debt. You don't have to do it again", then I raised an eyebrow, "Unless of course you can't help yourself and ask for more."

"That's highly unlikely", Yang looked away from me with crossed arms, "Yes, I'll admit that I enjoyed it very much, but you only got so far because you caught me in a moment when I was weak." We began to walk to the cave entrance.

"I'm not going to force you into anything again. All I'm saying is that you were very...lovely last night and I might actually like to do it again someday."

A red light flashed in the clouds, and that giant nevermore dove down in a rage with two giant feather blades on its hands. Upon reaching the ground, it sliced and its blades were held off by a burning light. It was Nimbus! His swords were locked with the Grimm!

"He's gonna do it! He can make it!" Yang cheered.

I could hear my team leader roaring in absolute rage, like this Grimm had robbed him of everything. A blizzard of starlit feathers was flying off his coat as he put every last ounce of his power into trying to advance. He genuinely looked like he was going to make it. But I saw a bright white flash and a loud _CRAK-SHING _as his blades both shattered with an explosion strong enough to send him flying back into the wall behind him and he was skewered by a strange starlit stone.

"NIMBUS!" I screamed and activated a power that I absorbed from that boarbatusk yesterday. I curled up into a ball using my tail and peeled out as I rolled up the mountain, somehow able to see where I was going. I reached the scene and ran right into one of the nevermore's feather blades as I extended my own claws in my spin. My Grimm hunger began to boil. That nevermore went wide eyed as it began to lose its hold.

"You again!" he screeched (HE SPOKE!), "How did you become so strong?! You're just a measly half breed!"

"I prefer the term velocion tri-breed!" I said as I exploded from my ball and threw back the giant's blades. He threw a set of feathers at me, but I caught one in mid flight and absorbed its Grimm matter. I had now absorbed its feather bullet ability.

"I see", it narrowed its eye at me, "You must be a test subject of that wretched Marcus Maze!"

I licked my lips in anticipation, "I've never even heard of such a creature of your kind before. I don't care what it takes, I will consume your remains and take your power! I'm going to enjoy this!" I thrust my fist towards him and fired off feather bullets in a machine gun fashion. "It's high time I got some form of ranged weapon", I said to myself.

"You...stay out of this!" Nimbus said. He was still alive! "That thing is my prey! It killed my father! I have to be the one to kill Insomnia!" He sounded desperate.

"Assuming you live long enough, I'll let you have the killing blow", I growled, "But after that, I'm absorbing whatever's left of your 'Insomnia'."

All of a sudden two forms rocketed down from the clouds and slammed into the back of Insomnia's neck. It was Arcee and Nora, and the force of their blows sent Insomnia to the ground hard. While he was down he quickly charged up a beam of energy and blasted Nimbus. At least he would have if Jaun hadn't been there with his guarding semblance.

"Come on Nimbus! Don't you dare die on us!" he said to my leader. One by one the members of teams JNPR, RWBY and NOVA arrived to confront this monster of a Grimm, weapons primed and at the ready.

Insomnia stood up shaking from the impact of that last attack. He screeched at all of us in anger, then dove off the side of the cliff and took to the clouds to nurse his wounds and fight another day; a smart move on his part.

"Yang! You're alive!" Ruby embraced her sister. But then we all looked to nimbus and everyone gasped.

Nimbus groaned as he lifted himself away from the wall and removed the giant crystal "blade" from his chest. He cursed at that Grimm and he began to collect the pieces of that shattered crystal.

"Stardust", Valentine muttered as she helped him, pick them all up into a small tie up bag. He was reluctant, but he allowed her to help him.

"Thank you", he whispered to her as he gave her a kiss on the cheek. But he fell to his hands and knees in pain. We all tried to help him, but he motioned for us to stop, getting up on his own. One by one he began to seek out the pieces of his broken blades. Pyrah helped him collect the rest with her polarity semblance and he knelt with the shattered pieces in his hands.

He just sat there in silence and slowly, he began to weep, whispering, "I'm sorry Boreas. I'm so sorry." Tears flowed down his cheeks and his blood to the ground as it began to rain, Weiss kept us all dry under one of her glyphs.

Then when he had cried his tears dry, he growled, trudged over to the cliff face and howled, "I will make you pay for this you monster! I won't die until I make you suffer like you've never known!" With that last word he crumpled over and coughed up a massive amount of blood, and he began to wheeze. Jaun rushed over and placed his hand over Nimbus' wound. His semblance slowly made it close.

"That should stop the bleeding, but It's the most I can manage right now", he told us. Blake took Nimbus, now unconscious, in her arms.

"I'll bring him back to Beacon. Arcee, You bring those pieces back to his room", Blake ordered and dashed back to Beacon.

It might be a long time until Nimbus made a full recovery. But I could smell in his aura that his heart had been scarred, with an even less likely chance of repair. I think he may have lost something far more important to him than his swords that day.

(End of Chapter 10)

.

Beowulf here.

A rather dark way to end the chapter, I know. But this is going to play a very important part in the future story line.

Yes, I know that Insomnia is a rather unusual Grimm but that's the idea. Why such is the case will come in much later on.

In other news, for those of you who are big Bleach fans, I need some guidance in my story, Grimlocked. I realized some critical errors in this one and I will be performing heavy modifications to improve it.

If you have any advice, critiques, or input for WOR or any of my stories that you would like to share please review or PM. And if you feel like it, tell your fellow FanFictionians.

Until next time, this is Beowulf signing out.


	11. Chapter 11: On My Own

Chapter 11: On My Own

(Arcee)

I couldn't believe what that moron just tried to do out there! No one takes on a giant Grimm alone!

But it made no sense what was going on in his head. Why would he dare fight such an opponent alone?

We arrived at the school about ten minutes after Blake. I delivered the crystals and remaining weapon fragments to our room. But before I could leave, curiosity got the better of me and I took one of the smaller pieces of the crystal. It was some form of dust crystal no doubt. But I couldn't pick up any traces of an energy source. Why did Nimbus see it as so important? More importantly, where did it come from? Perhaps I could ask him when he woke up.

Everybody waited outside while the doctors stitched him up. I couldn't believe that Nimbus was still alive after what happened to him. Blake especially was concerned.

But Valentine couldn't bear to wait another second. She quickly folded up her cape and walked into the clinic, tugging me along behind her.

"Are you insane?!" I whispered, "You're going to get us both in trouble!"

"There's something fishy going on here. You saw what happened. No mere human could have survived what he endured! And aren't you curious as to where that Stardust crystal came from?"

"That's what that stuff is?" I asked.

"It turns one's own aura into raw energy. And it doesn't burn out like normal dust."

I took out the piece I examined, "Haven't you noticed that this stuff is the same exact color as his eyes and cape? Seriously, nebulae and all! I'm beginning to think that his eyes are like that _because _of the crystals!"

Val got another idea. "Say, have you ever seen what's inside of his coat?"

"He never goes anywhere without it." she almost yelped, but Oliver's hand went over her mouth for just a moment.

"Don't do that!" I whispered sternly, "You almost blew our cover!"

"If you guys didn't notice," Oliver motioned to follow, "Ozpin and Nimbus are talking!"

Immediately shutting up, we walked over to Nimbus' room and we listened in.

"Nimbus, I hope you realize that this is why we said to wait. We could have taken other actions in time and gotten away without any casualties."

"The reason I acted was not because of my missing friend, but it was a big reason nonetheless. If you haven't heard Port's latest story then you should understand", Nimbus retorted.

"As a matter of fact he has told me", Ozpin sipped his coffee, "Something about Boreas if I remember correctly."

"Boreas", I muttered, "Wasn't he that hero who Professor Port told us about?"

"Yeah, "Oliver recalled, "I remember, he supposedly was killed by...Insomnia."

"That was the same Grimm that Nimbus fought earlier!" Val realized.

"Quiet! They're talking again!" I shushed them as they continued.

"You see", Nimbus hesitated, "he was my father."

Ozpin coughed into his sleeve in surprise, "You mean to say that all of that wasn't one of his tall tales?"

"Of course they're not tall tales", Nimbus confirmed, "I'm the one who told it to him. And Boreas told them to me. Heck I even witnessed some of his fights. For example: Chimera the Demon. I've had his pendant on my necklace for the past fifteen years. Of course I've never had the dust control required to use it."

"So I see that you have a lot to live up to."

"And there's one more monster that has to die before he can rest in peace: the one that killed him. I had to go out and fight Insomnia because he is one of the most elusive creatures on the planet. No one has seen him for the past thirteen years when Boreas wounded it. I might not ever get the chance to find him again! But now even his bow has been broken, for good this time."

I saw Ozpin put his hand on the shoulder of the currently invisible Nimbus, "I made the right choice in making you the team leader. You have a sense of loyalty that I've seen in very few over the years. You fight until at deaths door for the honor of the ones you love. But you have to learn that the idea of being the team leader is that you have to work beside your team. You saw what happened when your comrades came to assist you, you came even closer to beating Insomnia. When the time comes, you will make the killing blow to the beast. Until that time comes, you are to work with the rest of NOVA and all other teams who will offer to help. Can you promise me that?"

"I promise. But I want you to understand that there are a few things related to Stratos that I must attend to on my own, without my team."

"Of course. I understand that you want to remain under the covers for a little while longer. But the truth is going to come out sooner or later."

"I'll be the one to decide when I spread my wings, thank you very much."

I was dumbfounded. After a while, I began to pick up that most of Port's stories were merely his over-active imagination. Nimbus was living proof that not all of them were too good to be true.

"In the meantime," Ozpin looked to the door, "You guys can come out now."

All of us screamed in surprise, especially Nimbus who dove beneath his covers, "What the Spetz are you guys doing here?! Oz! Why didn't you give me the heads up earlier?!" We all noticed that he wasn't wearing his coat beneath that blanket.

"We're sorry", Val stepped in, followed by Oliver and me, "But we had to see if you were okay. But if you wanted to avenge your father, we would have helped whether you wanted it or not. We're not just going to abandon a team mate."

"I can't believe that you're still alive!" Oliver let Sly down onto Nimbus' bed and the little creature licked our leader's face, "That crystal had to have pierced your heart!"

"Not exactly. That shard missed my vitals by a fraction of an inch." I looked to everyone, "I'm sorry I didn't tell you why I left. Frankly there's a lot to me that people just aren't ready for yet. But a day will come when I'll tell you everything there is to know about me. Alright?"

There was a knock on the door and we turned to see a boy with blue hair, gogles, blue jeans, and a red jacket waiting outside in the hall.

"What is it Neptune?" Ozpin asked opening the window and he flipped in, "NOVA is having a private discussion."

"I'm just here to deliver a message. Team RWBY has called your team to a meeting in their room. They want you up there ASAP."

"Who might you be?" Val raised an eyebrow, smiling. The boy walked up to Val and took her hand in his.

"Ah, Valentine Vance. Pleasure an honor to meet you, sweetheart. The name's Vasilias. Neptune Vasilias. I actually just arrived from Mistral myself!" He kissed her hand and she blushed, "But in all seriousness, get up to RWBY's room right now." He slipped out the door suave manner.

"Well, you guys heard him", Nimbus said, "Don't worry about me. I'll be alright. If team RWBY needs you guys, then you need to help them, not me. I won't be back in action for a little while." Sly hopped back into Oliver's jacket sleeve.

"Take care of yourself", he told Nimbus as he walked away. Valentine whispered something to Nimbus before kissing him on the cheek and walking away. Ozpin followed soon after.

"Hey Arcee", he stopped me, "What can you tell me about metals?"

"Metals?"

"Yeah. Suppose that I'm looking for the strongest and lightest metal in Remnant. What would you suggest?"

"Are you trying to build something?" I asked.

"Maybe."

"If you're looking for something stronger than Nebulite like you were using before, I'd highly suggest vulcanium", I suggested.

"Thanks", he said before laying down and drifting off to sleep.

.

(Oliver)

"I'm just glad that he's alright", Blake sighed with relief.

"Serves him right for going in alone though", Weiss folded her arms as we entered.

"Great! You guys are just in time!" Ruby cheered.

Neptune was In the room, along with a guy with a monkey tail, messy blonde hair, and an unbuttoned white shirt.

"Alright, now what?" Val asked, "Why'd you call us here?"

"We're doing some investigations on the White Fang!" Yang said excitedly.

"Does everyone know what to do?"

"I'll contact Schnee headquarters to find any evidence of dust robberies and consistencies. Seeing as I'm in the family it should be easy", Weiss said proudly.

"The White Fang is holding an secret informational meeting tonight if memory serves correct. I'll go in, get the information we need, and sabotage their efforts", Blake said confidently.

"I've got a friend on the dark side of town who supposedly knows everything. Getting information out of him shouldn't be too hard", Yang said with determination.

"Alright!" the blue haired guy said (I later learned that his name was Neptune), "That's three areas to cover and nine of us. That means that we need to fit three people into each one."

"I'll go with Blake!" Sun volunteered.

"Let's see", Yang said, "Weiss, you take Ruby and Oliver to..." she trailed off as a growl rumbled deep in my throat, like an angry Grimm.

"There's no way in the pits of a beowolf's den that I'm working with Ice Heart. Not now, not ever", I snarled, "I'm only sticking around because I despise the White Fang more than the Schnee. I will not bring myself so low as to help them."

"Hey!" Weiss snapped, "You attacked us first! If anything I'm not going so low as to allow you to-" A feather dart shot past her head, pinning her hairpiece to the wall behind her. He ponytail fell, and her hair went straight.

"You want to talk about who attacked first? While you're out searching for records, search for the files on Granite Bark. I guarantee you'll be coming to me for an apology once you read it. But in any case I'm going with Blake."

"He's got a point", Blake said to me, "The only ones who can get in are faunus, and there are only three in this room." Blake removed her bow to reveal a pair of black cat ears. My antennae shot up in surprise.

"So that's why your bow twitched!" I realized, "But there we have it. That's one group down."

"I'll go with Weiss and Valentine!" Ruby raised her hand in an energetic wave.

"I don't know", Weiss blushed as she said, "I was really thinking about having Neptune come along."

Ruby snickered and said, "Nah! Come on you two! Let's get going!"

"But-but-but..."Weiss stuttered as Ruby dragged her down the hall.

"See you guys later!" Valentine said as she followed.

"Well", Yang picked up, "I got the team I wanted: Neptune, me, and Arcee! Allright boys and girls! Let's roll out!

.

(Nimbus)

Of course! All I needed was vulcanium! It's a metal that has only been found in meteorites, and I even had a stash of it back in my workshop in Stratos.

Of course we all know that I wasn't just going to sit around here while Insomnia grows stronger. I had to grow stronger too. I needed a new weapon.

I made sure that no one was around before I opened up the windows and took to the skies. My Stardust flight feathers had since regenerated, so I was no longer grounded. I needed to grab supplies from Altos before I could start building.

It wasn't long before I broke through the clouds of the late afternoon and the skyland of Stratos revealed itself in its true glory. It was good to be back home. Some of the fellow students at the Stratos training academy stared at me as I landed.

"What the heck? He's still alive!" someone said in disgust.

"I missed you too, Zepher", I said not even looking at him.

I looked at Stratos' metropolis and thought to myself that this place didn't seem so different from Remnant. We all socialized the same way, talked the same way. Apart from our wings we were no different from anyone else in Remnant.

Finally my workshop. I kept the location secret, so the soldiers haven't completely ransacked it yet. It would only be a matter of time before they did.

If you remember correctly, they were hunting me down because they believed that I had implanted dust into my own body, a criminal offense here. In reality, that was my semblance that forced this biological change in me. But in any case, the higher ups have been trying to get their hands on any weapons that Boreas left behind, but the law wouldn't allow it. They've been trying to get me out of the way so there would be no one left who could rightfully claim it all. I had hidden most of it on one of the smaller surrounding skylands for safekeeping before I left for Remnant. But there was some that I had yet to even touch.

I quickly went through my designs and tried looking at some possible weapons. I needed something big, as opposed to the two short swords i used before. And I needed something with the most possible firepower. But even within my designs, nothing truly fit the bill of both. The only thing in my blueprints that came relatively close was the pile driver extendable arm cannon. Not even that one could match the firepower that Pluto had before. Even if I decided to build it, my reserves of vulcanium had vanished! I guess the soldiers had been here after all. They had depleted the resources that had taken me over a decade to stock up.

"Scrap it all!" I pounded my fist on the table in frustration. What was the point of a blueprint if you didn't have the supplies to make it? I leaned up against the wall in frustration.

Then the wall fell out behind me and I fell back into a hidden chamber one story below! "Ow!"

As I stood up, the box I was In scanned me with a blue light. A dark hallway opened up. and a hologram transmitter floated in front of me.

**"IDENTIFIED: NIMBUS ALTOS. COMMENCING MESSAGE."** The device showed a picture of a halcyon man with sunset gold hair and a toothbrush goatee. His robes were white and he wore armor beneath.

"Dad? Dad! It's you!" I said with glee.

"Hello Nimbus. Just to clarify, this is one of many possible recorded messages that I've left behind in the system. If you received this phase then I've been dead for the past thirteen years. You can start walking now by the way." Dang he was good! I started walking.

"It appears that your semblance has finally awoken just as I suspected it would, but it will bring trouble with the council if it hasn't already done so. Apparently it has done so, because most of the items in my old workshop, now yours, are gone. I can only hope that they are all safely in your hands." I drooped at this. "I was afraid of that. But I've also noted that your bow has been broken. The chemicals it released onto you upon breaking were picked up by the scanners before. More importantly, the scanners have picked up traces of Insomnia himself, fairly recent too. I can conclude that you must have lost the weapon in battle with him. If so, I'm sure you've finally realized why I've lost my life. The first and obvious reason is because I might have underestimated him. Second, I may not have come prepared with a proper weapon."

He led me into a large circular vault with a large chest inside. Opening it up I saw that it was jam packed with vulcanium ingots! There was also a sheet of folded paper.

"Those bastards from the council probably thought that they got all of my stash. Not this one. And if that paper is still in that chest by the time you read this then it means that my weapon was never truly completed." All of a sudden the hologram disappeared.

A cold chill ran down my spine as I detected someone's aura and it was coming from the paper! Then I felt a hand on my shoulder and whirled around to see Boreas himself!

"You're..You're alive!" I said as I reached for him but my hand passed through him.

"I can't believe it actually worked", he chuckled, "No, I said it before, I'm dead. This is merely an aura transfusion I placed before I died. It's the real me, but I don't have much time", he looked me over, "You've grown into a fine young man."

I fell to my knees, "Dad, I'm sorry. I lost your bow. I failed."

"Then stop dropping about it!" I stood stiff, "Yes it is always a shame whenever a weapon breaks, but that isn't the end of it. Yes, it's true that the weapon one lets the owner forever in the minds of others. But you never truly had that connection to your weapon because you didn't make it to begin with! That's why the schools have students build their own weapons, so they can truly get the feel of having a weapon being completely one's own design, or at least made to perfectly accustom the huntsman."

"I know, but I've already looked at every scrap of blueprint that I've drawn up!" I walked around the room, "Not one of them managed to best the design that you made. All I could do was build on what you left behind."

"There's nothing wrong with that. In fact it's incredible that you could enhance my bow so much, coming even closer to beating Insomnia then I did. I made the original while you worked on the upgrade. But like I said, there was one weapon that I meant to build, but never got the chance to make. Once it can be completed , there will be no doubt that it will be the tool you need to win. Go ahead kiddo, have a look." I unfolded the paper and gazed at the masterpiece. It was perfect, just what I needed!

"All it needs now is a power source, one that you've already got your hands on", he told me.

I pocketed the blueprint and said, "I can't possibly thank you enough!"

His form began to dissolve slowly from his feet up, "I'm afraid that my time is up. Remember, no matter what anyone else says, I am beyond proud to have you as my son." He Embraced me in a hug, now fully physical for a mere moment.

"I'm just glad that you are my father", I hugged him back.

"One more thing, don't keep your team in the dark for much longer. The day that you carry your new weapon into battle again, make it the dawn of a new time. Make it your Celestial Dawn."

Those were his last words. He dissolved in a shower of embers that drifted to the ceiling and disappeared. Celestial Dawn. That was the weapon's name.

I looked at my father's design one more time. It had a firepower stronger than anything else in my designs, and the sheer power of its melee form was something that Pluto severely lacked in. I had to make this! Now!

I quickly picked up the chest and made a break for the edge of the skyland.

.

(Valentine)

"Look, I don't have a problem with this, but why are we going all the way out here to make a call?" I asked.

"It's just that this place it so cool!" Ruby squealed.

"The Cross Continental Transmit is what connects all of Remnant. It was Atlas' gift to the world after the Great War", Weiss said.

"'Oh, look at me! I'm Weiss I'm rich! I know facts!'" Ruby mocked in a very annoying tone before she realized, "Ooh! I have to take a picture!" she fumbled for her scroll before it was dropped. A girl with short orange hair, a beige shirt and black pants picked it up.

"Oh, you dropped this", she said with a smile as Ruby took her scroll back.

"Penny? Where have you been?! I haven't seen you since the docks!" Ruby exclaimed.

"I'm sorry", Penny replied, "I think you must be confused. I must be going." She walked away.

"Penny! Wait up! I need you to help me!" Ruby went after her.

"That dunce!" Weiss growled until I put my hand on her shoulder.

"Let her go, Weiss. Ruby made it sound like this 'Penny' might just know something useful about the White Fang. We have to trust that whatever she's doing, it's for the good of the team."

"Yeah, yeah. Let's just get this over with", she groaned as we stepped into the elevator. Our scrolls were scanned and we were taken up to the communications room.

"Welcome to the CCT! How may I help you?" the holographic manager asked Weiss.

"I'd like to contact Schnee headquarters in Atlas, please", she requested.

"Absolutely! Just go to a terminal and I'll patch you through!"

"Thanks!" Weiss said as we both went to a terminal and Weiss took a deep nervous breath. A Schnee manager came on the screen.

"Welcome to Schnee Head...Oh! Miss Schnee! Good afternoon! Would you like to patch you throught to your father? I think your sister, Winter, might be here."

"That's okay. Actually I was hoping you could compile some files for me." Weiss plugged in her scroll and the manager raised an eyebrow.

"I see. Might I ask what you need this for?"

"School project", Weiss bent the truth just a little, "Also, I would like you to add any files connected to the name Eastman and some place called Granite Bark, if you would."

"I don't know, these are some specifically classified files, especially on the two latter topics mentioned", the manager warned.

"Then I'll be sure to handle them with care", Weiss assured.

"Very well. All requested files have been sent to the school. Are you sure you wouldn't like me to patch you through to you father?"

"No! Thank you anyway!" Weiss insisted as the transmission was cut and she sighed with relief.

"Granite Bark?" I questioned.

"It's that name that Oliver mentioned back in the meeting. I'm getting tired of dealing with him blindly! I have to get to the bottom of his past once this mission is done."

(End of Chapter 11)

.

WOOHOO! Beowulf is back!

I have been astronomically productive during the past two days, so I was able to fit this bad boy in!

First off, I had to bring Boreas back, if only for a moment. I don't think that Nimbus could have gone on without it.

And just for the record, Vulcanium is a metal that I personally imagined. It should prove to make a perfect weapon. I also want to make it clear that I will be using pictures from Deviant Art to provide an apt description of Celestial Dawn once it's complete. ALL PICTURES WILL BE CITED and they all belong to their respective owners. I will make sure to name the ones who posted the pictures that I use.

Change is coming to the worlds of Remnant.

Beowulf out.


	12. Chapter 12: Injustice

Chapter 12: Injustice

(Oliver)

Blake looked over the scratch mark on the wall of a dark alleyway: the sign of a secret White Fang meeting.

"How do you know so much about the White Fang?" I asked.

"I was once a member before I saw what they were really like", she confessed.

We walked in and were handed our Grimm masks. I walked over to a corner and changed into a slightly taller boy with red hair.

"Why do we wear these?" Sun asked.

"Humanity wanted to make us monsters, so we made ourselves look like monsters", Blake said bluntly.

"Grimm masks. That's kind of dark", Sun shivered.

"So was the one who started it" she said as we put on the masks.

"Always sunshine and rainbows with you", Sun muttered.

We walked into a large auditorium and the hair on the back of my head prickled in anger. The room was filled with soon to be members and several hundred official members with weapons in this one room. A large curtain covered up part of the stage up front.

I began to growl, knowing full well that I was surrounded by the people I hated the most. My Grimm half was begging to run amok and rid Remnant of these people.

"Oliver", Blake told me, "You have to calm down. We're here on recon, not for an all out assault."

"Thank you all for coming", the leader said up front, "I would like you all to help us welcome a very special friend of ours. He is no doubt the key to achieving what we have fought for for so long!" As he said this, a man stepped forward. He wore black pants and shoes, a bowler hat, A white dress coat and he held a cane in his hand. His eyes were green and his orange hair swept over one eye.

"Who the heck is that?" I whispered.

"Roman Torchwick. He's a criminal who only recently started running the White Fang's Dust retrieval operations", Blake explained.

"What's a human doing here?" a faunus somewhere in the crowd yelled as boos rose from the crowd.

"I'm glad you asked, dear", Torchwick said in a joking tone, "Let me be the first one to say that humans are the worst. Case and point, I understand why you would like to have us all locked away, or better yet, killed. But I want everybody to realize that you and I have a common enemy: the ones in control, the people pulling the strings, the dirty rotten humans that rule our kingdoms. Military, government, even the schools, they're all to blame for your lot in life!" the crowd began to mumble and nod in agreement, "And they're all pests that need to be dealt with. Luckily I'm the best exterminator around. No offence to any rodents or insects in the room."

"Yeah, I take offense to that", I muttered with an antenna twitching in annoyance. But Roman walked to the side of the stage and let the curtain drop to reveal a giant battle suit. it was thirty feet tall, and was a walking arsenal of weapons: rockets, Gatling guns, giant fists. This thing had it all!

"This little toy", Roman continued, "is Atlas' new line of defense against the scary things in the world. And thanks to my...employer, we managed to snag a few before they 'hit the shelves'. Now i'm sure that many of you are aware of our operations in the southeast. If you'd rather stay in the city, that's fine. But if you're really ready to fight for what you believe in, this is the arsenal I can supply you with. Any questions?"

The crowd looked to each other, nodded, and gradually began to turn into a full on uproar of a cheer.

"All new recruits come this way!" the leader directed and every faunus in the crowd walked over to him.

My face grew dark, "I see. So that's it. That's what they hoped to accomplish. All this time, what happened was no accident?!" my fist tightened to the point of popping my knuckles, "All they want is for humans to disappear. I don't care what it takes, I will kill the one in charge of this!"

.

(Arcee)

Far below me, Yang rocketed down the streets on her bike, Bumblebee. Neptune rode on the back until we parked outside of a nightclub.

"He's in here", the blonde stepped away.

"How exactly did you manage to find a friend on this side of town?" I said landing, "It seems kind of ghetto out here."

"Don't let the setting fool you. This place it far from quiet", Yang warned us as we stepped into the lobby of the club and two of the guards ran back into the dance hall, locking the door behind them, "Aw! How sweet, he remembers me!" Yang joked before she busted down the door, "Guess who's back!" she called.

_CHA-CHINK! _The collective sound was heard as every last guard in the club was at the door with their guns aimed right at us. I quickly turned my gauntlets to cannon mode as we stood there in a stand off. The music shut off.

"Define friend for me", Neptune said nervously. The owner rushed to the front of the pack.

"Don't shoot!" he straightened his tie, "Blondie! You're back! Why?"

"You still owe me a drink, Junior", she grabbed the back of his collar and dragged him back to the bar. Neptune tried to go after the twin dancers.

That left me alone.

"Hey, get the music back on", someone said. A henchman tried to start up the sound systems but they sparked, forcing him to shut it off. I flew up to the stage.

"What's the problem?" I asked.

"Damn thing hasn't worked the same since that blonde came for her first round. She completely wrecked the place", the guard recalled.

"Let me look", I took a look inside the machine, "Okay, I see several problems in here. first off, it's not plugged in all the way, which is why it didn't play as loud. On top of that, one of the wires is corroded and frayed." I activated one of my gauntlet's many multi-tool functions and pulled out some wire cutters and removed the broken wire sections. I grabbed some electric tape, fixed the wire and plugged it back in. Suddenly the speakers boomed with new life.

"That should do it!" I closed it up.

"What did we get?" I asked walking back up to Yang as we left.

"We got everything we could, but he doesn't know anything new."

(Oliver)

I was absolutely shocked by how many people, normal faunus citizens, could possibly go with such a cause like this. The White Fang had murderous intent, and it was becoming clear that the people had this same intent. This was no longer just about revenge, not for me anyway. If that Paladin and all the others (hidden who knows where) actually were released in a populated area with the Fang behind the wheel, hundreds of people would die.

My past would become the case for countless others. But then I understood. I saw a connection. I could _not _let this happen.

"He sees us!" Sun muttered as Torchwick spotted us in the crowd.

"He can't see in the dark", Blake pointed out as she shot the fuse box on the wall and the lights went out. Now only Torchwick couldn't see anything.

Everyone screamed in panic.

"You guys make a run for it!" I told Blake and Sun, "I'll keep the Fang busy! I can buy you both some time!"

"Are you sure?" Blake asked.

"DO IT!" I yelled at them.

Blake looked at me with sad eyes, then said quietly, "That's exactly what Adam said..."

"Good luck man!" Sun gave me a fist bump before he flipped out the window.

"And Blake!" I said. She turned around to face me, but I had wrapped us both in my tail and gave her a kiss on the lips, surprising her. We both exchanged a brief flash of tongue before I broke the kiss as my tail dissolved

"Just in case I won't make it", I blushed, "Just in case this is a friend's goodbye."

"Don't let us down, Grimm Reaper", she smiled and dove after Sun. The Paladin, piloted by Torchwick, burst into the streets after them.

"You! Hands in the air!" five White Fang grunts had tracked us down in the hall. They forced me to the wall with my hands cuffed behind my back. By now I was still in my disguised form. I would have to play along for a little.

.

(Arcee)

"It didn't eat him. He's like...controlling it or something!" Sun yelled on the radio.

"Where are you?" Yang asked as a robot dashed down the street.

"HURRY!" Sun screamed in panic.

"I think that was them", Neptune sighed.

But I recognized the robot chasing him. That was a Paladin Mk 1! It was a weapon that my father designed. but I could clearly see the White Fang's logo painted on the side!

Something boiled inside of me, an emotion I wasn't used to feeling: injustice. I had to fight!.

"Come back here you scum!" I barked as I blasted off over the freeway it sped down. I couldn't get in close enough with those cars flying everywhere.

Sun and Neptune both went over the bridge, knocked aside by the Paladin. I looked to the road ahead and saw Weiss freezing the freeway. The Paladin lost its grip and broke through the barriers of the bridge to the concrete far below. I dropped down beside team RWBY and Valentine.

"Nice to have you join the party", Val said excited. Her double spear was out and flickering with Stardust energy. We all prepared to face the titanium titan. Suddenly I picked up a fast moving object coming in.

"Heads up at seven o'clock!" I yelled as a second Paladin rolled past us before performing a cartwheel to Roman's side. This one wasn't so much loaded up on firepower as it was armed with heavy melee weapons. Giant blades rested on its arms that stretched past its hands and even further past its elbows. A "backpack was on its back, probably with more weapons of sorts.

"So you finally decided to show up, Cypher", the original pilot (Torchwick) said to the second. But the new arrival said absolutely nothing, and only turned his head to his partner, "You need to talk more! Your silence it so freaking creepy! Take your pick." The second Paladin looked us over and threw his blades at me and Val.

"Go!" I told the other team, "You guys take that one and we'll take this one!"

"You guys would get in our way if we chose anything different", Weiss pointed her blade at Torchwick before she and Yang cast a smokescreen of mist around them.

By now, "Cypher", Val, and I had already exited the cloud and engaged in an all out brawl. This one was significantly faster than it looked. I took to the air and changed my gauntlets to cannon mode. I took aim and fired off rounds of plasma blasts, not dust, plasma. I had decided to use a projectile that was different from all others. But the robot was dodging them with ease. Val struck from behind with that rapid swipe projectile attack that she likes to call star storm. The Paladin sliced back, forcing Val to retreat with her semblance.

She swung her staff which suddenly extended another ten feet in length, allowing a long ranged melee. Her weapon shortened a little, one blade opened up in halves, and another end turned into a shoulder rest. A rifle. She fired three rounds before the Paladin returned fire with a railgun attached to its shoulder.

On the farther side of the battlefield, RWBY successfully took off the Paladin's right arm. I noticed this as I dove for our opponent battering its frame. I stepped back before shoving me away hard. I couldn't hold out like this for much longer. The two of us alone didn't have the firepower required. But I still had one more trump card.

I turned to the severed Paladin arm and jammed my gauntlet inside of the shoulder joint, "Comand sequence: Augment RC!" I shouted as my glove transformed, identifying the severed part of my father's handiwork. It removed and replaced the fractured pieces, then formed its own frame to fit! A metal sleeve ran up my arm and secured my shoulder. "Augment Complete!" I yelled as my new Paladin arm came to life, "Living Machine!"

I leaped forward and slammed my new appendage into the chest of the Paladin and sent it into one of the concrete columns. While it struggled to get up, I grabbed its torso and heaved upwards, "I won't let you tarnish the work of my father! I...WILL...WIN!" I roared in determination as Cypher was lifted from the ground, over my shoulder and back to the ground with a _CRASH! _I did it twice more before the frame began to fall apart. I wound up for one last punch, shattering the robot entirely and the pilot was rocketed backwards, out of the cockpit, and two feet deep in one of the stone columns.

I found it very difficult to describe the man inside. He was tall and had a shock of slicked back brown hair. He wore some sort of exo-suit. His left hand was visible, but his right arm had none of the suit covering it. That's because it was already completely machine!

Valentine gasped as she looked at the body. His radiant green eyes opened and he removed himself from the column. He looked at us and said not a word. But Valentine looked at his face in sheer horror.

"Cody?" Valentine whispered.

The man fell to the ground at the sound of that name, his form arched with electricity, "Val...I...didn't..." he exhaled slowly as he collapsed. Valentine collapsed her weapon and ran over to the fallen man's body. Carefully she sat down and she held him in her arms. Why was she being so emotional?

Roman went down too and was flying away in a bullhead with a strange looking girl with pink and brown hair. The bullhead stopped over us and Torchwick looked down on the fallen man with disgust.

"Worthless piece of machinery", he muttered.

Valentine roared in anger and whipped out her riffle in an instant, shooting Torchwick in the shoulder before he could react. He staggered back, but listened to Val as she cursed him.

"Now you've made it personal! This is a declaration of war! The next time we meet, you will face Mistralian justice for harming a noble Knight of the Round!"

With that Torchwick blasted off into the night. Valentine looked to the young man as the rest of RWBY arrived.

"Hold him still!" I rushed forward and put my gloved hand over his chest. My equipment scanned his vitals, "I can't believe that he's still in such good shape. That exo-suit saved his body from the impact." I picked up a strange current in his nervous system and looked to the back of his neck. There was a collar with a small device over his spinal chord, which I carefully removed.

"A remote receiver. It was manipulating him by tuning out his actions with actions and commands from someone else. He won't be fighting us again", I assured Val, "But, who is he?"

I heard someone clapping for us, and we all turned to see Nimbus, standing at the bottom of one of the fire escapes.

"Nicely done! What did I miss?"

"Nimbus!" Blake called as we all ran over to him, Val still carrying "Cody".

"You should still be recovering!" Weiss scolded me.

"Like I was going to miss out on this!" he laughed, "I saw the last bit of the battle." His eyes drifted to something in the pile of scrap metal and he walked over to dig it out. It was the railgun that Cypher had used in the battle before. It was comprised of two shafts with rugged interlocking "teeth" in the ap between them. It was easily four and a half feet in length. Nimbus looked it over, then nodded.

"It will do. Let's go home."

.

(Oliver)

I had to fight in the heart of the swarm. I needed to take out all of the Fang at once. Sure enough, the lights turned back on and I was brought back to the auditorium. I was shoved to the ground onstage and the crowd roared.

"Who would have thought we'd have a traitor in our midst?" the leader spoke to the crowd as he walked up on stage, "Brothers! Sisters! Here is what happens when humans take control, as Roman said! Our brother here has been coerced to turn on not just the White Fang, but all Faunus everywhere! They have disturbed the peace that we fought so hard to gain. With the death of this traitor", someone tossed him a sword, "We come one step closer!" Two Faunus held me in place as the leader prepared to stab my throat, "Do you have any last words or requests? We will listen if you have any."

"You scumbags", I growled, "Do you honestly think I came because of the humans? I came on my own. You all talk about peace, but there would be peace right now if the White Fang never existed."

"Lies!" the man put a scratch on my neck, "Humans and Faunus can never live together! Time and time again, history has proven that the humans are the monsters!"

"Tell that to the people who died at Granite Bark!" I snapped causing the room to go silent.

"What did you say?" the man turned to me.

"You heard me. Granite Bark, almost five years ago. It was a bloodbath battle between the Schnee and the White Fang. The humans and Faunus of Granite Bark live together in harmony viewing each other as equals. We never even heard of the White Fang. But then you all came along and tore us to the ground jealous that you couldn't gain the happy life that a half-breed like me had! And you all know how the kingdoms see half breeds. No matter what race you belonged to, you could find a warm welcome there. I despise the Schnee for ruining my home. But I hate the White Fang even more because they fought out of sheer jealousy! Even when we offered you a home within our walls, you stabbed us in the back! You killed the innocent! Human and Faunus alike! And I should know; I saw it happen!"

"If you really are a survivor of Granite Bark, then do me a favor and go to the grave where you belong!" the man stabbed forward through my chest with his blade and I coughed up blood and went limp in the arms of the guards. He kept his sword in me and his hand on his sword as he said, "This is yet another reason why humans and faunus can't live together. In the event of a half breed, they don't know who to fight for. May you have repose for your soul in the afterlife."

_SNAP! _

I broke my chains and grabbed hold of the leader, who looked at me with wide eyes. Playtime was over. I let out a low chuckle and raised it up to a menacing laugh as I tore the sword from my chest.

"That actually hurts. It's a good thing I killed that beowolf earlier, or that actually would have killed me." The wound smoked and closed up.

"Have your compatriots informed you of what happened to the last Schnee raid?" I deactivated my disguise and assumed my full Grimm form as I slashed at him, sending him bloodied to the ground off stage. I quickly shot down the remaining members.

"I leave the final decision up to you", I addressed the crowd who were now terrified by my physical form, "Look at me, a result of a genetic experiment, that made me one third Grimm. But I was betrayed by people that I trusted with my life, the people who saved me from the horrors of the Granite Bark tragedy, soon to be five years ago. And the ones who did this were both human _and _faunus who were very much like yourselves! Since that is the case, why am I not condemning you people, members of my second race? You had nothing to do with that event. The White Fang did, and I condemn them for that! Yet at the same time, I only condemn the Schnee, instead of all humans. You", I pointed to them, "have only half of the pain and suffering that I did. Why is it then that you condemn all humans. Think about that, and understand that if you are with the Fang, you make an enemy of me."

I walked off of the stage, turning into my natural state with these final words, "I promise that the day will come when Granite Bark can be reborn in all of Remnant. A day will come when humans and faunus alike can live together in peace and as equals."

That speech had made me feel cold inside. And that feeling beginning to spread. I knew why. And that was particularly why I had to take tomorrow off.

(End of Chapter 12)

.

HEY HEY HEY! It's Beowulf!

Man! I've been really productive as of late! I've only posted chapter 11 not but two days ago and now Ch 12 is already out! I need to keep this up!

I used this chapter to add yet another level of conflict to Arcee and Valentine. Who exactly is Cody?

And finally, Oliver sheds the details of the Granite Bark tragedy. But there's still a long way to go in regards to our Grimm Reaper's history.

Until next time! Beowulf out!


	13. Chapter 13: The Horror she Ignored

Chapter 13: The Horror she Ignored

(Oliver)

I watched in the ring far below as Pyrah went against all four members of Cardin's team, completely mopping the floor with them. It was becoming obvious why. I knew all about that polarity semblance, but she didn't show it off in battle. She made it impossible for anyone else to notice.

"Very well done, Miss Nikos. Let's see...Mercury. Choose your opponent", Goodwitch said to a silver haired student. I didn't like this guy. Right off the bat I could smell in his aura that he would be a nasty character.

They battled, and I saw Ruby talking to Mercury's partner, Emerald. She had her share of secrets too, exactly what was beyond me. But I sensed a significantly friendlier nature in her. The other partner, Cinder, was observing the fight with those glowing ember eyes. She was powerful, very powerful. It scared me. The three were transfer students if I remember correctly.

I took notes of Mercury's weapons while Cinder kept her focus and note taking on Pyrah. Sly glared at the fire-eyed young woman and a growl purred deep in his throat. He didn't like them. That didn't exactly mean that they were evil or anything, but rather it would be wise just not to place my trust in them.

"Then I noticed that something else was up. Nimbus wasn't here. He had been admitted out of the hospital after some miraculous healing. He should have been with everyone else in the ring, but he wasn't here

"I forfeit", Mercury said smack dab in the middle of the match, catching all of us off guard. I was infuriated.

"Hold it!" I stood up, causing Mercury to stop in his tracks, "I'm next, Miss Goodwitch. I challenge him!"

"No can do", Mercury taunted, "Like I said, I'm done."

"What kind of huntsman are you?" I snarled, "Fighting is not something that a huntsman can simply end at a given time! And the people who forfeit without reason are nothing but cowards!" I vaulted into the arena after letting Sly down in my seat, "And it's always going to be the cowards who die in the battlefield." I quickly spun myself into a ball and peeled out on the floor before rocketing towards the grey haired boy. He blocked me with a kick. I kept spinning in place as he struggled to hold me off.

I flashed out my tail, launched him, and hid it again before anyone could see. Thus far, only Teams RWBY and the rest of NOVA actually knew. I had to use my powers without letting anyone else know.

I shoved him against the wall with an open palm and wound up my right arm to prepare a slash.

"Oliver! Stop this at once!" Miss Goodwitch barked. I came back to my senses. That Grimm rage subsided as I realized that I almost killed another student.

"I'm...sorry. I guess I let myself get out of hand", I slowly walked out the door to the arena, and Sly caught up with me. Goodwitch called a break as she caught up with me.

"Oliver! What's the matter with you?! You broke the rules of the arena and nearly killed that boy!" she scolded.

"You don't think I know that?" I clenched my fists for a moment, "It's...scaring me."

"I'm sending you up to see Ozpin. Don't be late", she typed on her scroll.

"Don't bother, I have to talk to him anyway", I walked to his office, "And by the way, if my team or team RWBY asks where I am, tell them that I'm heading home to Vacuo until I've calmed down.

.

(Valentine)

I never expected to see him again, not after the news I heard before. The very moment that the Paladin battle was over, I leaped all the way back to Beacon and brought the injured young man to the medics. All of team RWBY joined me in his hospital room, keeping watch over him.

"Stop keeping us in the dark", Yang told me, "Who is he?"

"Cody Dragonclaw", I confirmed, "Of the Mistralian Royal Draco Scales. They were something of a second royal bloodline that lived to protect the throne as knights would. Cody was...one of them, essentially a prince. He and I were childhood friends. We trained together, trained together. Time past and he essentially became my knight in shining armor. Seriously, he was assigned to be my guardian knight at the age of sixteen. But he was always so much more to me, and the feeling was mutual. Of course, such relations between Scales and the girls they guarded were extremely common, if not expected."

"That's so sweet", Ruby said in admiration.

My face grew dark, "We would have gone on like that. But the day came, about four months later, when he was sent out on a mission as the entire Draco Scale escorted me and the nobles to a council meeting. The entire squadron was attacked by something, I don't know what, but Cody was separated from the group. All that the knights ever found of him was his severed right shoulder, and a trail of blood. We all knew that he was dead. Since then, I've trained to be a huntress, so I could defend myself without having to feel the pain of losing another knight."

"But how did the White Fang get a hold of him?" Blake asked.

"I can only assume that they saved him,turning him into a cyborg to use for their own purposes", I sighed, "But, I'm just glad that he's alright. Even if he's no longer in one piece, he's still alive." We all stopped to hear him rustling under his blankets and his eyes opened. Looking at his scarred right side of his face, and that odd flickering in his iris, I could tell that his right eye was cybernetic too.

"Val", he struggled to speak, "is that...really you?"

I held his human left hand, "It's you. Thank Dust it's really you!" I said before embracing him, "I can't believe you're still alive!"

He almost hugged me back but suddenly he sprang back to life upon seeing the others, "Whoa!" his blankets were flung into the air as he commando rolled with me to the corner of the room. He was dressed in hospital garments not but a moment ago, but now he was suddenly dressed in hie signature exo-suit armor with his shield!

"What the hell?!" Weiss jumped back after she noticed the armor and whatnot just appearing out of nowhere in the blink of an eye!

"Stay behind me!" Cody said as he set his shield, Steel Heart. Steel heart was huge, almost as tall as Cody was, and it was gold with a purple insignia of a dragon's head. A special gauntlet system allowed the shield to automatically switch to either wrist, or both at the same time when needed. If he needed to take the offensive, the shield could split down the middle and rotate ninety degrees in towards him as two giant blades. When In its singular form, He could aim the top of the shield with a targeting sight, and it would act as a shotgun. He was a line of defense that very few could ever pass, a true powerhouse.

"Wait! Cody, these are my friends!" I stood in front of him.

"What about the girl in black?" he squinted at Blake, "I remember seeing her with that accursed Adam Taurus."

"Former White Fang", I quickly explained, "Don't worry, we're safe here."

He sighed with relief as he made his shield vanish, "Where exactly is 'here'?"

"Beacon Academy in Vale!" Yang said casually putting her hand on her hip, "And according to what your highness has told us, you've been dead for the past two years."

"Two years? But that means...I have to get back to the Draco Scales!"

"That won't be necessary", Ozpin interrupted him as he stepped in, "Valentine has already explained who you are to me and the Draco Scales have already been informed of your survival. As such, they have instructed that once you wake up, you are to remain with Valentine, as her classmate. Here, you will resume your former duties. The rest of you please step outside. Val and Cody have a lot of catching up to do." Everyone walked outside, leaving Cody and me alone.

"You've grown so much Val", he said embracing me in a hug. Without another word, I did something that I haven't done in over two years: I kissed him.

.

(Weiss)

I really didn't like the idea of Oliver just vanishing like that. Yes, Ozpin gave him permission from what I heard, but why didn't he tell his own team. I do recall him saying something about Vacuo, however. It was high time that I really got to the bottom of this. I had to understand why he hated me so much, and if so, why didn't he side with the White Fang?

So I chose a time that day when everyone else was busy (Blake had been especially busy in her White Fang research). I opened my scroll and opened up the files that were sent here from the company's headquarters. I specified the file search to Granite Bark. A single folder opened.

Sure enough, Granite Bark was a place that was now in Vacuo territory, due to recent expansion. Granite Bark was a very large wooded settlement that had apparently had unusual human and faunus relations, and was home to the majority of Remnant's half-breed population.

An incident occurred seven years ago and according to the records, Members of a rogue White Fang group have been setting up camp secretly in the town's perimeters.

Then I found a video file taken from the armor camera of one of the soldiers sent to apprehend the criminals. The guards had infiltrated the town and confronted a large group of people. This group was all faunus. But a single man, a human, stood in between the soldiers and the citzens who prepared to take up arms.

"What's the meaning of this?!"

"Your town is housing members of the White Fang! We must bring them all down, and anyone who stands with them!" the commander said.

"Like hell. We have no interest with your conflict. If they're here, they seek refuge. Granite Bark exists to provide a home to those who face discrimination of the outside world! You can either leave now", the man pulled out a katana, "or we will consider this a declaration of war! You cannot just walk into our home in such a way, and you cannot target the faunus who you suspect!"

_BANG! _The man went silent as a single shot rang out. He stood there for a moment, then his eyes closed as he fell t the ground. The soldier had shot him in the heart. All of the people roared in anger as they prepared to defend their home, and the battle began. But over the uproar, I saw a little boy, dragging the dead man's body away from the fight, tears filled his eyes as he pleaded in the hope that his father was still alive. The soldiers saw the boy trying to help the man and they open fired. But the boy narrowly escaped with his father's katana.

The citizens fought well, but were eventually brought down by the remaining soldiers. They advanced and found the White Fang confronting a group of humans. But a Faunus woman stood between them.

"Stop this! Why are you doing this?!" she cried out.

"Stand aside woman, or you're going down with the human scum behind you!" the leader began to unsheathe his sword.

"You monsters!" she roared at them, "You people are a disgrace to the faunus, and to Remnant!" she dashed forward with a spear and engaged in an epic duel with the Fang leader.

Then out of nowhere, that boy from before dashed forward and swung with his sword. The man was disarmed by the woman, caught the child's blade, kicked the child to the ground and then stabbed the woman through the heart.

Her eyes went wide with pain and tears welled up, "I'm sorry, Kyle." she fell to her knees and then dropped to her side.

The child looked at this event in horror, "Mom!" he tried to get to her, but three slashes, sent the boy back to the ground. On his chest were the same scratch mark patterns that were on the organization's logo.

"Well, what do you know? A half breed", the leader forced the kid up by his hair (and antennae) then kicked him back beside his mother. Then he addressed all present, "Granite Bark is an example of what happens when humans get into the minds of Faunus. What we have here," he pointed his sword at the boy, "is an example of when a human corrupts our kind to our core of existence, to our DNA!" The man sheathed the katana and tossed it aside, letting it roll beneath the porch of a house. "That's why this must come to pass. Granite Bark", he drew his own sword and prepared to stab the boy, "must be burned to the ground!"

The boy held his mother in his arms weeping bitterly, until he looked up and howled, "NOOOO!" in a volume and manner that was neither human nor faunus. It was only then that I saw that his icy blue eyes had turned blood red. That cry echoed through the mountains, causing everyone, even the White Fang leader to step back in surprise. There was utter silence.

The faunus stepped forward again to finish the boy, until a similar howl responded, followed by dozens more. But the boy never noticed. Screeches and roars followed close behind.

"Fall back! Everyone fall back!" a soldier called out just as three giant nevermores flew over the buildings and several Ursa Majors and Alpha Beowolves dropped in from the bird Grimm's airdrop. The soldier who held the camera lost his helmet and the Grimm stormed the ranks as the Fang and soldiers made a run for it. The helmet camera was on the ground, focused on the little boy holding on to his mother as the Grimm stormed the ruined city. But they all passed right by him, all of them knowing that they needed to eliminate the armed threat first.

All that horror, sadness, negativity had been funneled into that one boy and had attracted a powerhouse hoard of Grimm. The Grimm had ironically saved his life!

The video finally cut off.

I was beyond horrified. I expected that from the Fang of course. But the Schnee troops attacked civilians who simply wanted to protect their home! We _did _make the first move!

I looked over that one last file, a set of ID's. The first was the man who stood up directly to the Schnee forces: Kyle Eastman. Then the faunus woman: Elise Eastman.

I checked the last ID even though I had already deduced who it was. I saw the boy. He had scruffy black hair that hung over one eye. He smiled happily and one of his antennae was tilted to the side. He was a happy child. Not anymore.

That boy was Oliver Eastman.

I could hardly even tell it was him. That happy child had been replaced by a young man who was hell bent by his own hatred.

Finally I looked over the official statistics of the entire event. Sure enough, the tragedy had occurred five years ago, tomorrow. Oliver was going back to Granite Bark. But something was still bugging me. If Oliver really was part Grimm, the pain of his past might drive Oliver into another violent state. I couldn't let that happen.

.

(Arcee)

I raced Yang out of the storage room with the speakers in hand and back into the ball room where we put them down with a _THUMP. _

"I win!" Yang cheered.

"No way!" I argued, "You were like one second behind me! Ruby! Who won?"

Ruby just sat there at the table with a glum look.

"What's the matter with you?" Yang walked up to her, "Aren't you excited about the dance?"

"What's the point if Blake isn't going?" she sighed,

"Trust, me. She's going", Yang said before turning to Weiss, "What did I tell you, Weiss? No doilies!"

"If I don't get doilies, you won't get fog machines!"

"Your dance is gonna have fog machines?" Neptune said entering with Sun behind him.

"We were thinking about it", Weiss put her hands behind her back.

"What'll you be wearing?" I asked Sun.

"Uh...this", Sun gestured to his clothes before Neptune interrupted him.

"Ignore him, for he knows not what he says."

"Hey, I may have moved to Mistral, but I was raised in Vacuo. It's not exactly a shirt ant tie kind of place", Sun explained.

"Vacuo", Weiss whispered to herself quietly.

"Whatever. But I'll be turning heads tomorrow night", Yang said confidently but she trailed off as Weiss glyph dashed around the room to quickly complete her final tasks.

"That reminds me, I have something really important to do right now, bye!" she dashed out the door in a frantic manner.

"What?! Weiss!" I flew after her, "What's the rush?!"

"I have a mission to attend to, and my ride's here!" she dashed ahead even faster. A bullhead flew up from behind the cliff and opened up by the docking bay.

"Where to Miss Schnee?" the pilot said.

"Granite Bark, Vacuo! And step on it!" Weiss said as the craft took off.

"No you don't!" I said grabbing on to the door and upping the entire bullhead slowly back to the docking bay.

"How are you doing that?!" she yelled over the engines.

"You tell me what's going on!" I yelled.

"Arcee! If you value Oliver at all, you have to let me go!" she yelled.

"Oliver?" I muttered. What did he have to do with this?

"Tell Ozpin where I'm going! Granite Bark! He'll know what to do!" she said as I let the ship fly away.

.

"She did what?!" Ozpin raised his voice, making all of us jump. I had never seen Ozpin like this before.

"That's what she told me", I said nervously as Ozpin paced the floor with his cane.

"This is not good", he groaned, "RWBY, NOVA. I need you both to be at the ready. Bring Weiss back here before she can reach Granite Bark."

"Ozpin, how is Oliver involved in this?" I asked and he stopped in his tracks, "Weiss said that if we valued Oliver at all we would let her go. How is he tied to Granite Bark?"

Ozpin sat down with his elbows on his desk and his head in his hands, "I have a sneaking suspicion that you won't leave if I don't come clean...again. Very well. I'm certain that you don't know the full details of Oliver's hatred for the Schnee and the White Fang. Five years ago to the day, the two entities clashed in a battle that massacred the civilians of a settlement known as Granite Bark. Thousands died in the crossfire and the Grimm attack that followed was nothing short of catastrophic, driving away any remaining forces. But what most don't know is that the events that took place created a monster. Oliver Eastman was the sole survivor of Granite Bark." We all remained silent.

"I have come to the conclusion that Oliver may be growing increasingly unstable, with this 'anniversary'. His darker Grimm side might very well take over in such a situation. Of course Oliver knew this and went to Granite Bark where he knew that no one would be. But now that Weiss is after him, a child of one of Oliver's hated entities, I fear that his mental state may worsen and the encounter would be a disaster, or worse...deadly."

We all looked to each other in worry. We had to stop this before it happened

"Then I need all of you to go. Valentine, you are to bring Cody along to fight in Nimbus' place. And remember, if Oliver really is in his Grimm rage state, do not look him in the eyes. I'd pack warm too; I hear that Vacuo's mountains are getting some cold weather. Godspeed."

(End of Chapter 13)

.

HEEEYOOO! Beowulf returns!

It's high time I pulled out this chapter. I've had the story of Granite Bark in my stocks since the very beginning of the story! It's nice to finally let it out.

But I've finally gotten the chance to bring some of Valentine's past into the picture, and finally revive her long lost love life.

Also, Nimbus hasn't even appeared at all in this chapter. You'll find that he's going to be working his heart out just like Blake is at this point in the story (arround the middle of season 2, episode 5-6).

I'll be posting another chapter soon.

And remember, if there is any advice that you would like to share with me, please do so. I love hearing your feedback!

Until next time, in Granite Bark. This is your favorite Novelborn signing out!


	14. Chapter 14: The Ghost of Granite Bark

Chapter 14: The Ghost of Granite Bark

(Weiss)

In all of my experience as a huntress, I've never gone into battle without a combat skirt before. My trip to Granite Bark would be the first time without one.

This time around I wore my snow suit. It was a white, almost skintight suit that was well insulated and had a robe that flowed out behind me. The lining of the hood was fuzzy, as was the inside. It was a comfortable fit, and the robe reminded me of Valentine's dress code.

It had almost slipped my mind that while the area surrounding Vacuo was mostly desert, the mountains East of the kingdom were in the middle of a winter freeze right about now. According to the file, the remains of Granite Bark were deep in the forests at the foot of the mountains. I hoped that Oliver was at least warm out there. I began to doubt that once the hatch opened and the cold air bit my skin. It wasn't snowing very much, not but a moderate sprinkle, but it was bitterly cold out there, enough to keep the older layer of snow on the ground below.

"Miss Schnee, are you certain about this?" the pilot asked me, "This is probably one of the biggest Grimm hotspots in Vacuo! Are you sure you want to go in alone?"

"I'm sure. I want you to find a safe place to land and stay there for a little while. I'll contact you when I need to be picked up", I dropped out of the side of the ship and used a series of glyphs to jump to the ground.

The woods were lifeless. The trees were now black and grey in their hibernative stasis, completely contrasting the pure white snow. It reminded me immensely of that story that Ruby once told me, how she had taken down an entire pack of beowolves single handed. That was long before she came to Beacon. The setting was astronomically similar to what she told me.

But I saw no footprints. Not yet. However, I knew that Oliver had Sickler wings, so he would have traveled as the bird flies. And If this place was so full of Grimm, why didn't they leave footprints? Regardless of why that was the case, I kept going.

When I looked at these woods, I saw peace. Everything was quiet, and nothing disturbed the natural perfection of the winter woods. Perhaps that was how the Grimm felt about nature, believing that human and faunus civilization upset the natural perfection of the wild. No, it was impossible, but a little wondering never hurt anyone. Finally, I found a headstone beside the road that said, "Remember the peace that dwelt in the heart of Granite Bark. May its people rest in peace." The Headstone was well polished, and was untouched by the snow and ice. It was as though nothing had touched it since the day it was placed.

It wasn't until another quarter mile that I got my first glimpse of Granite Bark. It was what one might call a ghost town. The structures began to crumble away, slowly being clawed away by the ice and wind. I could only picture what such a place was like in its heyday.

As I entered the town, I pictured the video I saw and realized that I now stood where that commander did when he shot Kyle Eastman. I could practically see their ghosts reenacting the scene. Then I pictured young Oliver carrying his dying father to the side. Sure enough, in Kyle's final resting place was a headstone with his name and a quote, "Great times and great people call for only the best of measures. The best I ever saw was the building of Granite Bark." This one too was as untouched as the one at the gate.

As I went around, I could see dozens of other tombstones, each identifying a single person in the places that they lived. Everyone got theirs regardless if they were human or faunus. Then I arrived at the grave of Elise Eastman. A black rose, freshly picked, was placed in front of the stone. Out of all of the stones, this was the only one that was touched in any way. A pair of rolling water droplets had frozen midway above the stone's slant. Teardrops. It was Oliver.

He was still in his sane state when he placed this. But I had to find some way to make sure that he didn't lose it. The video replayed in my mind and I remembered something that the Fang leader did before the Grimm came. I looked to my left and saw the crumbling remains of a house. I walked over and used my sword to slice an opening in the porch. There, untouched by the snow, was the katana of Kyle Eastman, exactly where the Fang leader threw it. Oliver had completely overlooked the blade as he passed through. I dusted off the hilt and unsheathed the blade. It was still caked in the blood of Elise and Oliver. I used the fresh fallen snow to clean the blade, and it seemed to glow like the light of a full moon. I closed it and carefully strapped it to my belt beside Myrtenaster.

I traveled to the top of the hill to see one final headstone, larger than the others. Written on it was a message containing today's date and year.

"I am Oliver Eastman. Five years ago to the date this is written, the most peaceful town in Remnant breathed its last, and I am its sole survivor. Granite Bark was a light to humans and faunus, and to all who sought peace. I regret to say that peace can only scarcely be found here in the silence. Even then the past comes ringing back to me." I trailed off before I could continue to the next line, as I heard a roar from lower on the hill.

I had become so accustomed to the silence that I completely forgot about the high levels of Grimm that plagued these woods. Three juvenile death stalkers, four Beowolves and a giant sickler were what stood at the bottom of the hill.

I hated juvenile death stalkers. I can deal with their larger versions but their younger selves were astronomically aggressive and extremely fast on their feet.

That sickler was huge! I've never seen one up close before, but I heard that they can strike faster than any Grimm known in Remnant. With my back to the cliff, I would have no choice but to fight back. I drew Myrtenaster and glyph dashed towards the first two beowolves, leaving an explosive glyph behind me. One of the death stalkers rushed me, but I stabbed it in the back of its 'head' and swung it back towards the second, sending both off the cliff.

The others screamed and roared in rage as they prepared to fight, but the sickler stabbed at the ground, silencing them. It stepped forward. By Dust, this thing was over twenty feet tall! It got into a fighting stance. Very unusual, but I didn't waver in my concentration. I dashed forward and attempted to get in a close ranged shot, but its claws came down on me like a guillotine. It narrowly missed, but it would be difficult to get past a fast acting defense like that. Unless of course I could clear it out of the way first.

I tried to dash in again and the sickler attempted a scissor slice. This time I used a large red glyph which immediately repelled the attack, sending the sickler's arms out of my way. I used a yellow glyph and set a ring of glyphs around us. Quickly I jumped to one, then back to another over and over, slicing at the sickler as I went. I stopped and the sickler screamed in pain as it stabbed its two blades into the ground and collapsed. I smiled, turning to the other Grimm.

"Who's next?!" I yelled at them. I felt a cold chill run down my spine. I whirled around and dodged out of the way of another scissor slice from that same sickler! As if that wasn't enough, a _second _pair of claws hiding behind the originals lashed out at me, giving me just enough time to put Myrtenaster in front of me. but not enough to activate the dust chambers. Our blades collided and Myrtenaster was sent hurtling away before it was impaled in the ground.

I had completely forgotten that sicklers were smart enough to play dead! And since when did they have four arms with claws?! I was sent to the ground hard and the sickler spat a blob of black goo at me, gluing me to the ground on my back. Gross! Then it lowered its head, sniffing me, and it raised one of its blades to the sky and screeched in victory, and it almost seemed to continue on even after its mouth closed and the Grimm prepared to swipe.

But I realized that something else was screaming. The scream started out low, then went higher and higher in pitch, coming closer and closer, until one of the beowolves exploded into black Grimm matter. At that point, the scream had turned into a almost a fluttering whistle. The sickler stopped to look around and narrowed its eyes as the last death stalker turned to ashes, which were sucked up into the body of what killed that beowolf.

It had _two _death stalker tails now, and had a set of sickler wings and claws. It was covered in a glimmering black skin with white plating on its arms and legs. It quickly used its claws to dash forward as it ran on all fours to get past the giant Grimm's defense. The attacker was on the Grimms abdomen, and he ran his tails and blades up its back and it finally sliced off the giant's head before it could even do so much as scream in pain. It glared at the other Grimm and they ran knowing that victory was impossible.

The thing then dragged the sickler pieces back together and it consumed the evaporating remains. It staggered for a moment, lurched over with a growl and suddenly sprouted another two arms beneath its original pair! It lifted its head to the sky with its chest out and its arms held back as it let out a spine chilling scream that sounded something like a hyena's laugh. Its head snapped back around to look at me and it screamed in a similar way as it stepped over to me and raised its blade.

There was nothing I could do to stop it. But it opened its mouth one more time and something escaped its maniacally toothy grin.

.

(Oliver)

"You should see your face right now", I snickered at the Schnee heiress, "You should have known that sicklers like to play dead. That's what you get for not paying attention in Port's class."

She looked back to me and said in confusion, then almost in horror, "Oliver? Is that you?!"

"Don't act so surprised, princess", I said, my voice now returning to normal, "I remember telling Ozpin not to disclose my location. Did he send you?"

"No, I...came on my own", she said, "Why did you save me?"

"I may be a Grimm, but I am not a monster. There's a very big difference", I growled quietly, "Do you have any burn dust on hand?"

"Back pocket, but I can't reach it", she said but then she shrieked suddenly as Sly sneaked up behind her and removed the crystal, handing it to me.

"There we go", I said as my hand caught on fire. I touched the gelatin and the entire vat vaporized in a split second, "Sickler slime is extremely combustible. The reaction is fast, has no smoke, and leaves no residue or burns behind. It's like flash paper." I helped her up, and said calmly, "Now that you're free, beat it. You have no business in honoring the dead here." I said as I walked away, letting my Grimm form disperse.

She could never understand the pain I held. But I learned that these negative emotions make my Grimm half stronger. Grimm feed on emptiness and any negative emotions. That's part of why I came here and why I was able to physically evolve so much.

I walked along to the crumbling remains of my old house, now little more than a stone structure. Behind the house were two headstones: the real graves of my mom and dad. I remembered how Marcus helped me with the burial before he took me in. He was so kind to me, he and his colleagues. I found it ironic that he betrayed me too. It almost seemed that whomever I placed my absolute trust in would either die or stab me in the back.

I heard footsteps behind me.

"Go back, Weiss", I said bluntly to her, "Can't you see that I'm paying my respects?"

"Oliver, I'm sorry", she said, interrupting me.

"Pardon?" I said after a short pause.

"I know what you went through, and what happened here."

I huffed, "I think you're just saying that to calm me down. I'm not falling for it."

"Then I believe this belongs to you", she said and I heard a very familiar metallic _SHING. _

"It couldn't be..." I whirled around to see Weis holding a katana with a purple and silver sheath with a dragon in the metal design, "Solace!" I said as I took the blade in shock. It was my father's sword! I could have sworn that it was lost in the raid, but here it was in such great condition.

"How did you find this?" I asked with suspicion.

"I watched the video from the files I collected and I saw where the sword was thrown. Like I said, I know what you went through."

I stood up and slowly drew the sword. I could feel the perfection in its design. I dashed forward and sliced through a dead tree with an X shaped cut. The sides and top of the tree fell to the ground and I sheathed Solace.

"It's just like when Dad used to let me use it", I sat down with my sword in my lap. Tears began to fall, and I slowly let out a laugh of joy, knowing that a lost piece of my father, the Sword of Granite Bark, had at last been returned. But that joy died and was replaced by tears of sadness. I stabbed one of my own claws into the ground as I silently cried.

"Why did you really save me? I don't blame you for hating me and my family, but why save me?" she asked.

"You didn't even know about Granite Bark before I told you. You had nothing to do with the events that occurred. I hate the ones who ordered the soldiers. I know that your men were simply following orders. But that doesn't change the fact that hundreds, maybe thousands died here. The White Fang continues the violence with a pure killing intent. I will be sure to end them", one of my claws flicked out, "and the one who gave that order is going to endure a long and painful death." I closed it again, and tried to regain my cool. "But I have made a decision. I won't involve myself with the company any further."

"Really?" Weiss said hopefully.

"That's why you are going to finish the job", I said standing up approaching her.

"What do you mean finish the job?" Weiss said with a hint of anger.

"I realize that the Schnee dust company works in a different manner than the Fang, a way that I personally will never be able to accustom myself to. And in the same way, you can never accustom yourself to the White Fang's workings." Weiss backed into the wall and I gently held her in place by her shoulders, "That is why you are going to put an end to this, _your _way. But I want you to realize that I won't tolerate the company's moral grey area much longer." I noticed my aggression levels rising and I tried to put a cap on it. I sighed, "Remnant can't afford another Granite Bark tragedy. If you really are a huntress, then please help me end this on your end. Promise me that. Please promise me that you'll do what you can." I sniffed a little.

Weiss seemed a little overwhelmed by my words. She gulped and wiped away a tear from my cheek. Her hands were so warm compared to this weather.

"I...I promise", she nodded.

"Thank you", I whispered, "I might be in Granite Bark for a few days, I still want to kind of say my goodbyes here."

"You have to stop dwelling on the past", she told me, "It will only make things worse."

"It's kind of hard to stop. I've lost everything: my home, my family. I even lost my own identity. Weiss, it's just like I said before, at heart, you and I are essentially the same. Back then and even now, I could smell in your aura that you faced loss, betrayal, abuse. You went cold just like I did. But you still have life paved out for you. You still have your family, a home, and your humanity. Count yourself lucky."

"Look, I'm sorry I never tried to understand you before. But you have a home, friends, a family in this life and the next, and," she put her hand over my heart, "under your powers you are still a person: human and faunus. You're a lot luckier than you're giving yourself credit for." I smiled weakly for a moment as I thought on that.

"Oliver, I want you to know that I'm hear as your friend and ally. If there is something I can do to help you, just say", she told me. I quickly moved forward and wrapped my arms (new Grimm arms included) around Weiss' waist.

I know that the idea of having _four _human arms sounds freaky, and it is. But in battle, an extra hand or two cam make all the difference. I had a slightly more intimate purpose for them now.

I couldn't hold it any longer. I then sprouted my _two _tails and slowly began wrap us both in my coils.

"W-w-w-wait a second! What are you doing?!" she protested. But I shushed her.

"If that's the case, then there is something I would like you to do", I paused for a moment before I began to draw closer, "Console me."

"No, just a-_mpff_!" Her voice was muffled because my lips had locked her in a kiss. She let out a muffled squeak as I directed my tongue into her mouth, and I swear I tasted peppermint.

My hands gently caressed her perfect body. Compared to Yang's build, Weiss was very petite in frame. Her curves were soft and elegant.

At last I broke the kiss. Only then did I realize that my own tongue had changed too, with the rest of me. It was slightly thinner but was much longer with a fork at the end, like a King Taijitu (snake Grimm).

Weiss was trying to catch her breath, "Why...are you doing this?"

I said not a word as I loosened my hold on us and one of my hands reached up and unzipped Weiss' snow suit, revealing the white t-shirt and long, soft pants she wore. With my tails wrapped around us like a cocoon, it was slowly growing warmer in here. I brought us both to the ground and I wrapped my arms around her once more and this time I could feel her body heat. I let one hand hold the small of Weiss' back.

"O-O-Oliver", she shivered nervously, "I don't think I'm ready for this! Ah!" She yelped then whimpered a little as I kissed the side of her neck. Not a moment later, both of my lower hands reached down and carefully lifted up her shirt. I marveled silently at Weiss' body. She was even more slim than I thought! She wore a white bra with two icy blue snowflake insignia. Her breasts were small, but were perfectly round and firm. I took one hand and gently rubbed her left breast. Weiss looked away with closed eyes and she quietly cried out.

My lower arms took the waistband of her long sweatpants and I carefully slid them off. Weiss' legs were long and slender like the rest of her and her skin was just as flawless. Her panties were of the same nature as her bra was: white with icy blue snowflakes.

Looking at her in her entirety, I saw perfection.

Weiss, shrank back a little. She shivered in fear. She held a worried and scared look in her eyes, "No", she whispered with a shaky voice. My lower right arm cupped around Weiss' upper left thigh while my lower left caressed her right hip. Weiss looked away and closed her eyes tight.

But I went no further.

Instead, I wrapped my upper arms around her chest and I rested my head on her shoulder. My other two arms dissolved.

"You say that you're my friend. Why are you so scared then?" I asked her in a genuinely curious tone. My tails closed in tighter, now carefully enveloping us.

"It's because I don't know why", she whispered.

I sighed, "Weiss, I am not here to take advantage of you. In fact I'm not going any further than this until I'm married, if I ever will be. But I don't think you have any idea how much this really means to me right now. You came all the way here, despite the danger, just to ensure my safety. You found an irreplaceable piece of my family past. And most of all, you helped me to see that I still do have a future, as does Granite Bark. That's a debt that I don't think I can possibly repay." I broke the hug for just a moment so Weiss could look to me. Finally, a happy smile showed on her lips.

"Also", I said as I embraced her again with a shiver, "I need someone to help me warm up. I'm still cold."

Weiss giggled a little and I felt a tear drop from her cheek.

I know what you're thinking. Why do I use my extra limbs in such a case? Doesn't it make the situation a little...awkward? It's only awkward if you don't understand it. You see, if you ever are locked into a genuinely sensual hug with a girl, you don't just go halfhearted into it. You give it your all. If you're a velocion tri-breed like me, and the girl knows it, that means you use anything you can to hold her while keeping her comfortable. In my case that means using my tail(s) and now my extra arms. I explained all of this to Weiss.

Well...that was my logic anyway. If you don't like it, sue me.

But Weiss actually seemed to enjoy it.

At long last her arms wrapped around me and her legs became entwined with mine.

"Your eyes..."

"Hmm?" I questioned.

"They're blue again!"

At first it took me a moment to register what she said. Then I reached outside of my coils and partially unsheathed Solace. My reflection in the blade was staring at me with a pair of blue eyes, not red ones.

I don't know for certain why my eyes changed color that day. My best guess is that the event was so traumatizing that it forced my impostor semblance to trigger a permanent color change. Now, my eyes were blue once more.

"Weiss", I whispered to her, "Thank you."

This time, Weiss pulled me into the kiss and she held nothing back. Yeah, I was definitely tasting peppermint.

Carefully she brought my upper arms to her breasts and she let me hold on to her upper thighs and I gently massaged her without breaking the kiss. That's what we did for the next twenty five minutes.

That was how Beauty tamed the Beast.

.

Weiss and I both agreed to start out on a completely clean slate again. That half-hour was the perfect way to kick start it. But we both agreed that nothing more would happen between us unless we both consented. Besides, I've seen how attached she is to Neptune.

After Weiss got dressed again, we both went back to the top of the hill.

"You made all of those head stones?" Weiss asked

"Most of them", I replied, "I knew everyone in Granite Bark by name. So when I saw that some people were missed by Marcus, I made some for them."

Carefully I cleared the hilltop headstone and began to chisel out a new message. But we were both stopped by an incoming transmission.

"Weiss! Do you read?! This is Arcee speaking!" my synthian team mate said.

"I read you loud and clear Arcee!" Weiss responded, "We're alright!"

With a collective cheer, all of our friends from Beacon leaped out of the bullhead far above us, including that guy who Valentine brought in.

"Weiss! What happened?!" Valentine said grabbing her friend by the shoulders.

"Are you really part Grimm?!" Jaun asked me excitedly. I'd forgotten that JNPR, although seeing me at the Schnee HQ raid, had been unaware of my true abilities.

"Are you alright Oliver?" Pyrah asked me.

"Alright, alright, break it up", Ozpin said calmly walking up to me after the bullhead landed, "I apologize for intruding but you gave your friends quite the scare. Had I known before hand what Granite Bark really was I wouldn't have let you go."

"I figured as much", sighed, "I'm sorry that I lied about it. But I think you may have gotten the wrong idea. I said that I'd have anger issues, not turn into the monster that you thought of. Picking off the Grimm in the area helped me cool off. Look, you all need to give me more credit than that."

"You mean to tell us that we came all the way out here for nothing?!" Yang walked forward and grabbed the collar of my shirt. Solace was suddenly at her throat, but not in my hands. Rather it was in the _paws _of a growling Sly on my shoulder, who acted in my defense!

"Hey! Put that thing back! You could have hurt someone!" I said and he barked in response. "Don't give me that! You'll have one soon enough, in a size minus four."

Yang let me go.

"I really hate to say it, but you put us behind schedule on decorating for the dance", Ruby told me.

"Excuse me, a dance?" I asked. Sly yipped at me. "How the heck did you know if I didn't?!"

"It's happening tomorrow night", Ruby told me, "We've been preparing for it for the past several weeks."

"Well, then there's no time to lose!" I said happily, "I'll meet you guys there! No, I'll just go with you guys!" I rolled over to the bullhead in boarbatusk fashion and took my seat in the blink of an eye. Everyone just looked to me strangely.

"Are you okay?" Valentine asked me, "You seem a little different." Everyone climbed in behind me.

"Well, I feel different. But this is the real me! I'm just glad that I'm finally out of hiding."

"Weiss, what did you do to him?" Yang asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Well...he's kind of a hugger", Weiss sugarcoated. But Yang got the idea, "Hey Oliver. You fixed the headstone but I never got the chance to read it. What does it say now?"

I smiled and walked over to the bay doors as we lifted off and I said my parting words to Granite Bark.

"I am Oliver Eastman. Five years ago to the date this is written, the most peaceful town in Remnant breathed its last. And I am its sole survivor. Granite Bark was a light to humans and faunus, and to all who sought peace. But I regret to say that peace can only scarcely be found here in the silence. The hatred and prejudice of the world has brought only destruction. I used to hate those people. But now I see that Granite Bark is not dead yet. There is still hope for this ideal of tolerance and acceptance, which only together can create peace. As the son of the Governing Family, it is my oath, my honor, my duty to one day restore Granite Bark. I can see this hope now, because I realize that I no longer have to go in alone. Until that day comes, I am still Oliver Eastman. I am Oblivion, the Ghost of Granite Bark."

(End of Chapter 14)

.

Beowulf here!

I am completely at a loss for words right now. That wound up a lot better than I was expecting.

But in all seriousness, I had to put a cap on Oliver's forwardness towards Weiss. This story is rated T, people! There will be NO LEMONS HERE!

Now once again, Nimbus does not appear in this chapter, He's still working his wings off with Celestial Dawn.

I'll be working on my Bleach story, "Grimlocked", next, so keep your eyes open fellow soul reapers.

As for my fellow Huntsmen and huntresses, if you have any ideas, critiques, or feedback of any sort, please share! Only if you want to of course.

And thank you all for my official 2,000 views! Thanks for making _Wings of Remnant _my most successful story yet!

This is Beowulf the Novelborn signing out.


	15. Chapter 15: Demons on the Dance Floor

Chapter 15: A Demons on the Dance Floor

(Nimbus)

_BANG! BANG! BANG! SHHHHHH!_

The hammer rang in the underground forge. I've been at it for two days straight with out stopping. I had no choice. This process required that I watch my weapon heat and cool and modify what I can when needed. I was on the last cycle when I would at last let it cool. once this was done, I would have to put it all together. When the time came for presentation, I had to make Dawn look her best. No question asked. No holds barred.

I wasn't there when Oliver made his trip to Granite Bark, and I would have come if Ozpin had at least informed me. But he didn't.

"Nimbus!" a voice said behind me, and Jaun's hand yanked me out of the forge just as the last piece finished cooling, "We need to talk!"

.

Before I knew it, I was dragged into team JNPR's room with Jaun, Rin, and I sitting on one of the beds. Rin had apparently been pulled out of the showers.

"Look, I see you both as brothers. Of course I don't know much about you both, but I figured that we could have a chat, man to man...to man. Rin I wasn wondering, You and Nora have been together for a long time so..." Jaun rambled until Nora cleared her throat.

"We're not actually _together-_together."

"NORA! I SAID HEADPHONES ON!" Jaun barked suddenly and Nora immediately complied.

"Jaun, what is it? Why drag me into this?" I asked.

"It's Weiss", he sighed, "She's so hung up on that Neptune guy but I'm just scared to talk to her about how I feel."

"Then do it!" Pyrah walked in with a smile, "If you have feelings for her then confess already! You won't get anywhere by just doing nothing. Just tell her how you feel and don't hold back."

Jaun nodded and stood up suddenly, "You're right! I have been holding back a little! Thanks Pyrah!" he dashed out of the room.

"Practice what you preach, Pyrah", Nora said solemnly as Pyrah sighed. In an instant I picked up on what was going on.

"Hold it now. HOLD IT NOW!" I dashed over to Pyrah with a gleam in my eyes, "You have a crush on Jaun! Don't you?"

"N-n-n-no! What makes you say that?" she said nervously.

"Don't try to hide it! I've never seen you this nervous before. That's a sure sign that you're not being honest with me", I suavely interrogated.

She sighed, "Alright, alright! It's true. I like Jaun."

"Then why won't you tell him?! He's an awesome guy!" I told her.

"I don't think that you'd understand", she looked away.

"Try me", I sat down beside her.

After a short pause she continued, "You know my reputation, who I am. It's just that people see me as someone of a higher level, someone who's...unreachable. Of course in reality, I've only known others of that same title. I don't know how to...propose to someone like Jaun." Without a second thought, I pulled her up, spun her around and caught her in a dancer's catch. Nora gasped in awe and Pyrah went silent as I stood her back up again.

"I know exactly how you feel" I said, "I'm not exactly from Remnant. My people have been isolated for a long time and there was a time when I saw all humans and this entire world as unreachable. But even so, our kind holds us to standards for staying high above the radar. Yet I took the initiative to come all the way down here myself! I wasn't scared of being reaching for something that was supposedly unreachable. Just look at Jaun. He's going after Weiss Schnee, the heires to the biggest company in Remnant! That's shooting high! If he could go for her", I put my hand on Pyrah's shoulder, "then he'll go for you, if you tell him."

My words appeared to have their desired impact.

"You're right. I'll talk to him tonight", Pyrah said as she gave me a chaste kiss on the cheek, "Thank you."

.

(Oliver)

I was shocked that I hadn't heard about the dance sooner. I may have been last minute, but I managed to find a good suit. I found it a little demeaning whenever I came back to my room to find that Sly had found a suit of his own! I still don't know how he managed to find one in his size.

Everyone on the team, save for Valentine, was going single. Even Sly went off on his own. Perhaps had found another slink to hang out with.

"Hey! Oliver!" a voice called behind me, and I turned to see a girl in a black and green dress with mint green hair.

"Oh hey! What was your name again? Emily? Emma...Emerald!"

"That's my name! Don't wear it out!" she winked with a smile, "Listen, I was just wondering if you might be up for a dance."

"I don't see why not", I said as I took her hand and we slow danced with the other students.

"But in all seriousness", she said, "How did you do it?"

"Do what?"

"When you fought Mercury. I've never seen anyone take him down before, let alone that quickly! How did you do it?!" Man, I loved this girl's attitude. She was playful like Yang, but was as curious to learn as Blake.

"I'm afraid that I can't just tell you. If too many people actually knew what my powers were, I wouldn't be here. It's...sensitive information."

"So you're just a little self-conscious of your own powers?" she raised an eyebrow.

"Well, yeah! That 's a really accurate way of putting it! You're right!" I smiled.

"That's okay, you don't have to tell me, I was just curious. What about your team leader, Nimbus? I haven't seen him yet? How does he fight?"

"You're trying to get information for the tournament aren't you?" I said spinning her into a dancer's catch.

"Maybe", she said smugly, "I'm not denying it."

"You're not confessing either", I stood us back up, "But Nimbus will be out of combat for a little while with his weapon broken. He's working on a new one in his spare time but it will be a change for him. That's all I know anyway."

"I believe it's my turn, Emerald", one of the students walked up to us.

"Alright", Emerald moaned, but then happily chirped to me, "See you later, Oli!" Mercury switched out Cinder for Emerald with me.

"I see that Emerald has already asked you her questions, hasn't she?" she said in a way that was chillingly sweet.

"Please don't take this the wrong way but I don't entirely trust her, or Mercury. I can tell that you three are holding secrets, big ones."

"You're one to talk", she said in a soft, teasing tone, "I know that you have your share as well. That power of yours for instance. I plan to figure out exactly what you are capable of before the tournament." Damn, those eyes, those burning ember eyes were trying to burn right through me. Neither of us succeeded, "Have you ever felt broken before?"

"Pardon?"

"I mean heartbroken. More often than not people keep to themselves because of some tragic past. Regrets, guilt. In a word, there is merely a fracture in your heart. I can feel it clear as day." Cinder slowly walked her fingers up my shoulder, "Of course the only way to fix it is to place a little trust in someone else."

"I've lived my life not trusting anyone, be they human, Faunus, or half breed", I said as one of my antennae twitched beneath my hair, "I believe that it is merely instinct that drives us to trust others like such. That same instinct is what drives me to fight. Mercury found out the hard way that I rely on that trait, no matter how arcane." I spun her around, "As for this 'fracture', you seem to go into great detail as though you know it from experience. Do you know heartbreak, Cinder Fall?"

We both danced in silence for a moment. I could tell that she was very persuasive, and tempting in several ways. A demon in a sense. I could tell without a doubt that she analyzed me and saw the instinct and makings of a Grimm, in a figurative sense.

Before another word was said, before I could even register what happened, I felt a burning softness on my lips. She was….kissing me? I know I've weaseled my way into a kiss three time so far. Now that the girl was making the first move, I felt strange on the inside. It made me feel extremely out of place and even further out of character.

Cinder didn't kiss too deep, but gave me a slight flash of tongue. Her skin was feverishly warm, burning to the touch, and her lips and tongue were even more so. That feverish heat permeated my entire being and I welcomed that feeling. Finally she pulled away and licked her lips with a seductive smile. The moment that we lost contact, that heat vanished, leaving me cold inside.

"I'm sure that we'll find out each other's secrets some other day", she chided before she faded back into the crowd with a sway in her hips. As soon as she was gone, I went out in search of Yang.

On that day I felt a sense of fear. Cinder Fall had become the first girl to officially scare me.

And I loved it.

.

(Ruby)

I can't believe I got so excited over this. I've waited for this dance for a long time and I have to spend it wearing this tight dress with shoes that I can barely even walk in.

Given the chance, I would have a date to this dance. But I had to be the only one here who was fifteen. Everyone else was seventeen or eighteen. So in the meantime I watched over the dancefloor as team JNPR moved to the beat. I don't know why, but Jaune was wearing a dress. I couldn't help but laugh. But I saw that someone else was laughing beside me.

I looked to see a boy (MY AGE! EEEEK!) leaning over the railing to watch. His hair was black and his eyes were dark, but they glittered like polished onyx. His skin was as pale as mine, and he wore a red tie with golden buttons and cuffs. But he looked just as uncomfortable as I was.

"Not liking the dress code?" I asked him.

"Tell me about it", he tried to loosen his collar, "I can't stand a tux that's this tight, I can barely breathe."

"That makes two of us!" I said jokingly, "I can barely move!"

He looked behind me, "Who did your corset?"

"My sister Yang."

"The blonde? That explains it. Can't picture her in a corset. Hold still." He walked up behind my with his hands flying at the strings. Then with a tug, the corset loosened just enough to let me have a better range of motion, "My older sister goes to parties all the time, and she has me to her corsets all the time."

"Gee, thanks!" I sighed with relief, "My name is-"

"Ruby Rose. I ran into your sister Yang and she told me about you. My name is Sedrick Lawrence Young, but my friends call me Sid. Nice to meet ya."

We talked on for a little while until a familiar song came on. I believe it was the same song that was playing when Yang was in that nightclub not long ago, the "I Burn Remix".

"Oh, oh! I love this song!" Sid exclaimed, "You wanna dance?"

"I would love to but these shoes are a little too tall for my tastes", I tried to refuse, "Also, I can't dance."

"Yang told me that isn't true", Sid crossed his arms, "You're fast on your feet when it comes to fighting Grimm. This is even easier. Follow me", he took my hand and escorted me down the stairs.

"I don't know about this", I said.

"It's a lot easier than you think. In fact, the ladies aren't supposed to lead the dance, the men do. All the ladies have to do, what you have to do, his follow my lead. You have the easy part. Now let's give it a try. Hand in hand and let me keep your arms up." He directed me in the correct position, "Now all you have to do is step to the beat that I set. Just go with the flow. I'll set it to the beat of the music. Let's go."

Soon, he and I were stepping side to side with the beat of the music. "How am I doing?"

"Wonderfully. You learn quickly. Now let's try and step it up with the next quarter of the song." The song moved to the second quarter, _Mirror Mirror._

"First thing you need to know is that everything you do in a dance lines up with the beat of the music. In a moment I'll tap my finger and I'll raise my hand four beats later. Follow through with your hand and spin around once, and resume this position. Remember, the time I raise my hand to the time your spin stops is four beats long, relatively slow. Ready?" I nodded and we followed through. He led me swiftly through the motions and I stopped the spin with no trouble.

"I-I'm doing it!" I smiled as the song switched to quarter three, _From Shadows._

"Alright, since you seem to learn faster than I thought, I'll have to step up our game. Next, when I give you the signal, I want you let go with one hand, but hold on with your other. Go to the very end of my reach and when I tug, spin back towards me against my arm. Try to think of a yoyo going back up a string."

"I think I can do that." He immediately sent me out and I came rolling back before he caught me, spun me around like the first time, the let me resume the pose.

"And you anticipated the spin at the end. Very well done!" At last the song reached the final quarter, _I Burn. _

"Alright, time to get serious. For this one, I'm going to combine everything you've learned. I hope you're ready." As soon as the vocals started, he twirled me around twice and sent me straight into a yoyo spin. But when he sent me into another spin, this time he began to spin under my hands. Then he reached with his hands low behind his back.

On instinct, my free hand grabbed his, so now my right was locked with his right and my left with his left. We took turns spinning until he lowered our hands, and the spin wrapped his arms around me without breaking our grasp. Finally, I was in a dancer's catch just as the song concluded.

For a moment we stayed in that position and all was silent with the exception of my heartbeat.

"Perfection", Sid whispered in my ear.

After a pause, I whispered, "Thank you", and I kissed him for a moment. It wasn't until we pulled away that everyone on the dance floor was looking to us and applauding.

"That's what I'm talking about Ruby!" Yang cheered for me, as Sid spun me around and held our hands up to wave to the crowd.

I pulled him over to the side and said, "That was incredible! I didn't think I could do it!"

"Ozpin already told you before, dancing is very similar to fighting. So dancing comes naturally to us."

"Look," I shuffled nervously, "I was just wondering, maybe, you and I can hang out sometime."

"Count on it!" he gave me the thumbs up but then looked far behind me, "But I'm afraid that I don't have much longer tonight. By the way, look on top of those buildings right there and head to the CCT." He waved to me with a smile and walked into a pitch black shadow of an awning, blending in perfectly.

"Wait!" I said going after him, but Sid was gone. He had just melted into the shadows. The only trace left of him was a gale of black rose petals that blew out of the awning with the wind. Sedrick Lawrence Young was a mystery to me.

But that's not necessarily a bad thing.

.

(Nimbus)

I really wish that I could have gone with the others, but I had to finish my weapon. Tomorrow was the day we'd take our first missions with a teacher, and I would be incapable of fighting if Celestial dawn was incomplete. I walked over to my workbench where the broken feathers were from that lest battle. I had managed to fuse them all together into two large diamond-shaped slates, which I began to place in the new housing compartments for permanent storage. It reminded me of the descent to Earth, when I was completing Pluto's design. But no one would be around to interrupt me this time. When both were secured, I locked them in place, performed a test charge up, and held the weapon in my hands.

"It's done", I sighed with relief. It was similar to Dad's original design, but like Pluto, I added some upgrades. The centerpiece changed to the color of the Stardust crystals the moment I held the handle.

It was perfection.

I set Dawn to rest (social mode) as I exited the forge. Maybe I could still reach the dance if I had the time. Then as I went to my room to get dressed, I saw something horrifying; or rather the lack of something.

Pluto's remains were gone. I panicked and ran out of the room to see if I could still find a teacher.

But as I walked through the halls of the school, I heard a loud roar from the locker rooms. I ran inside to see that one of the rocket lockers was taking off! It was Ruby's locker. She must be in trouble! I hated to do this, but Pluto would have to wait.

I snapped open my wings and flew to the armory to grab a pair of short swords, and I latched on to the locker as it rocketed out of the silo.

Something in my mind didn't understand. Ruby was at the dance. Why would only she call in her locker? As the locker began its descent, I released my hold and stayed high in the air to observe.

Ruby picked up Crescent Rose on the ground below and made a mad dash for the CCT. Three guards at the entrance were out cold. Someone had already broken in, and Ruby was going in to investigate.

I tucked and rolled into a dive as I landed on one of the balconies by the communications room. I put on my full Grimm mask and looked inside. I saw a young woman, probably nineteen years old, with long black hair with a black jumpsuit and a mask. She was working on one of the computers there. Ruby stepped out of the elevator and tried to talk to the now standing woman.

She spun around and waved dust n an arc in front of her and glass shards were launched at Ruby who quickly blocked, and used a shot of her own to get in close with a strike.

At this point, the woman had summoned two curved black swords. I felt like I've seen them somewhere before. She got in close and slashed at Ruby, who fell back and fired three shots at the woman. But the rogue merely blocked the shots with the palms of her bare hands! Ruby struck again forcing the woman into a backflip.

While in that motion, her hands connected the swords' handles together to form a black bow without a string. There was a clockwork wing insignia on the handle. She pulled back and three black arrows were notched and fired in an explosive barrage.

All of the blood drained from my face as I put the pieces together. Rather _she _had put the pieces back together!

The bow she was using was Pluto!

I snapped open my wings and blasted the door down with a gale force wind that swept around the room, setting everyone off balance. Flaring my wings again, I dashed forward with a Nevermore scream as I slashed with the swords! The woman dodged a fatal strike.

My wings hid before she could see them as I roared to her, "That weapon belongs to me! I won't let you go for desecrating my father's masterpiece!"

I would have fought on, but the elevator door opened to reveal that man that Ozpin was talking to in his office, the day I fought Insomnia. I whirled back around to the intruder, but she had mysteriously vanished. I looked out the window only so see her melt into the shadows and disappear as the clock struck midnight.

"Come back here, you coward!" I howled at her, "I will kill you for this!"

.

Ruby and I had been sent back early that night and the moment we woke up, we were sent directly to Ozpin's office. I remember the last time I came up here, when Oliver and Yang were missing.

"Come in", Ozpin called to us. We opened the doors to see Ozpin at his desk with Glynda Goodwitch, and that man from last night.

"Sorry we're late", Ruby said sheepishly, "Someone hit all of the buttons on the way up here. It wasn't us."

"Thank you for coming, Ruby, Nimbus. How are you feeling?" Ozpin asked.

"Good I guess. But I'd feel better if my bad guy catching record wasn't 0 for three", she shrank back at the serious tone in the room, "Oh, so that's the tone we're going for here."

"Ah, Nimbus. I'm still puzzled by how you manage to get yourself into these sort of messes", Ozpin mused.

"I had my reasons for showing up. But I have Ruby to thank. If she hadn't launched her locker when she did, I wouldn't have been there."

The other man stepped up to her and put his hand on her shoulder.

"Ruby, I feel it's appropriate to let you know, I think what you did last night was exactly what being a huntress is all about. You recognized the threat, you took action, and you did the best you could. The same to you Mr. Altos."

"Now," Ozpin continued, "The General here has already informed us of the events that transpired last night. Now that you've both rested, we were wondering if you had anything to add."

"Was anyone with her?" Glynda asked, "Did she look familiar to you at all?"

"I don't know. She was wearing a mask. She didn't say anything to me", Ruby stated, "I know that she fought with glass, but I don't think that was her semblance. And her clothing lit up when she attacked."

"That means that she wove dust into the clothes she wore", I stated.

"Save for the glass, that sounds like the woman I fought on the night we met Ruby", Glynda hypothesized.

So you know her?" I asked.

"Most likely. Have a look", she pulled out her scroll and started the video of Ruby fighting several goons outside of a dust shop.

"Hey! I know those guys. Those are Junior's employees from the dance club you met me at, Ozpin!"

"Seems like that", he said and the scene continued to a battle between Glynda and a woman in a bullhead.

"Okay, stop!" I paused the video as the woman attacked. Her clothes lit up just enough to light up her form a little. I squinted and looked to her.

"But I'm afraid that the video is preventing me from seeing her in full detail, even with my night vision."

"But embedding dust into clothing is an age old technique. It could be anyone", Ironwood reminded us.

"Wait," Ruby asked, "You think this girl is connected to Torchwick and the White Fang?"

"It's possible", Ozpin stated, "but we still lack the required evidence to link the two together."

"But I did notice that she stole my father's bow, Pluto, and reverted it into a darker form of its previous form, Apollo. We both know how it shattered in that battle with Insomnia."

"So you acted again out of your father's honor", Glynda inferred, "I don't mean to be rude, but the last time you acted in that manner, you were almost killed by that same beast, _and _your bow was broken. A third time is probably going to be the death of you."

My wings blasted a gale around the room without revealing themselves. Starlit feathers blew in the breeze off my coat.

"Don't ever talk about finishing my father's work like that!" I hissed.

"Mr. Altos! How dare—", she started but Ozpin interrupted her.

"Both of you please stop. We are not here to talk about Boreas. Now tell me Ruby, how exactly did you know to follow her if you were in the dance?"

"Well, I actually wasn't the one who saw her first", she blushed, "Sid alerted me before he vanished."

"Sid?" Ozpin said as he rolled through the records, "We don't have any Sid's at any of the schools."

"Well, he said that his friends just call him Sid. He said his real name was Sedrick Lawrence Young. Right after he saw the woman he said he was out of time to be there and he just blended into the shadows and disappeared. All that was left behind was a bunch of these", she reached into her pocket and pulled out a couple of black rose petals.

"Interesting, leaving pieces of his own aura behind", Ozpin said picking one of the pieces up in his hand as he examined it for a moment, "But I'm afraid that just this much isn't enough to trace his whereabouts. But we do know for certain that he is not a student. We can't rule out the possibility of him being with the White Fang. Is there anything else you'd like to tell us?"

"Well I do remember hearing something about a hideout or something…in the southeast just outside the kingdom, according to what Oliver told us", Ruby informed.

"Interesting", Ozpin said raising an eyebrow.

Glynda narrowed her eyes at us, "What does Mr. Eastman-?"

"Thank you for your time. Both of you", Ozpin stopped her, "Why don't you go and spend some time with your teams. You both have a big day ahead of you."

"Yes sir", Ruby said as we both walked away.

.

We opened the door to Ruby's dorm and all of Team RWBY and NOVA zipped forward to meet us.

"What happened?!" Yang interrogated us. So we explained everything to them.

"So close to home too", Blake pondered.

"You could have at least came to get us", Arcee told her, "We could have helped."

"Ruby", Yang hugged her sister from behind, "There's still something you're not telling me. Who was he?"

"What do you mean?" Ruby turned as red as her hood.

"You know, the guy you danced with last night. The on that gave you your first kiss." A squeak of excitement came from the other girls in the room (except for Blake, who remained reserved).

"Alright," Ruby sighed, "it was some boy by the name of Sid, Sedrick Lawrence Young."

Oliver suddenly lurched forward and started coughing on the soda he was drinking. And we all stopped to look at him.

"Did you honestly just say, Sedrick Lawrence Young?!" he said in shock.

"You know him?" I asked.

"We all do", he confirmed, "He melts into shadows. He likes Ruby. His own name gives him away!"

"How does his name reveal his identity?" Weiss asked.

"I mean his _initials! _**S**edrick **L**awrence **Y**oung! S.L.Y!" Oliver said.

At that very instant, Oliver's pet slink leaped out of his jacket sleeve and took cover inside Ruby's hood.

"SLY?!" everybody gasped at once. We could hear Sly's squeaking as he laughed for a moment. Then a hurricane of black rose petals blasted out of Ruby's hood to form a boy with black hair, yellow eyes, who stood as tall as Ruby. He wore a Leather jacket and black pants with a white t shirt and a pair of shades were over his eyes.

"Well, it took you guys long enough", he grinned happily before removing his glasses, "But you had to blow my cover, Oliver."

"Okay! I am officially confused!" Valentine backed up.

"This….does not…..compute!" Arcee struggled to say before she flopped back onto someone's bed.

"Whoa! Plot twist much!" Yang raised her eyebrows.

"This is new", Oliver approached, "Why didn't you tell me about this?!"

"Did you honestly think that some ordinary Grimm would be able to coexist with a human?" Sly asked, "I don't know if you've forgotten, Oliver, but I'm genetically modified. They made a half breed with Grimm DNA, and they made a Grimm with human DNA. Heck, I got more Grimm and more human in me than you do. No offense. It was only a matter of feeding off of small increments of your own aura that I was able to gain enough of your impostor semblance to obtain a complete human form."

"That makes sense", Arcee sat back up.

"But why did you choose now to reveal it?" I asked him.

"Is it not obvious?" he said before turning back into a rose petal storm and reforming beside Ruby, "I wanted my chance at romance."

"Romance?" Ruby said as Sly hugged her from behind.

"Right from the moment you held me while Oliver was in the arena. Remember? I just figured that last night would be the proper time to start. You had fun last night, didn't you?" he tried to snuggle her.

But Oliver brought his foot down on top of Sly's head and sent him to the ground hard enough to snap him out of his human form. Sly squeaked in protest.

"Save it, Romeo. We have to get ready for the missions today, as do they. We don't have time for games now." Sly rolled his eyes in response, but climbed back into Oliver's Jacket sleeve.

(End of Chapter 15)

.

Beowulf is back!

Whoa! Surprise much?! Cinder sneaking his way to Oliver, Sly sneaking his way to Ruby. That was a shocker to me! I never saw that coming.

I'm sorry I couldn't post sooner, but the school recently put up a block on FanFiction while on campus, so I've had to resort to using Microsoft Word to _recopy _the chapter! **RoboDragon **knows the kind of hamper that puts us in. It's a nightmare!

But I've already started on the next chapter, so you won't have to wait too long for the next one!

Speaking of which, to my fellow soul reapers out there, I'm posting a chapter of the new and improved _Grimlocked!_ That's right!It's finally out of hiatus! and I will be posting it right after this chapter!

.

...Hold up! What's the matter?!...Excuse me?...What?!...That's horrible!...Alright I'll tell them.

.

(deep breath of nervousness) Fellow readers, the date that this chapter was published was February 3, 2015. And I have just received word from a weeping cast that two days ago, on February 1, 2015...Monty Oum, the creator of RWBY has passed away.

To Monty, if you're reading this up there, you will never be forgotten. Your talents and inspiration were part of what drove me to write these stories, and you forever have my thanks, and the thanks of the entire OC crew. You have left us with one last _remnant, _that we will always remember you by: you were the genius, the dreamer, dare I say it the Novelborn Novahakiin who created the fantastic world of Remnant to inspire millions!

As of right now I dedicate this story to you, Monty. You played the most important part in helping me write it. May you continue to inspire us all in spirit. We will miss you dearly.

And most important of all, thank you Monty. Thank you for helping my dream come to life!

Until next time! Beowulf is signing out!

Rest in Peace, Monty Oum.


	16. Chapter 16: The Siren's Well

Chapter 16: Field Trip to the Seiren's Well

(Valentine)

"Nimbus, you have to come along! You're the team leader!" I protested.

"Val, I would love to go with you guys but I have to fix my new weapon. I found a flaw that could potentially destroy it if left unchecked. But if I can finish in time, I'll come out and meet you guys. Just give me the location and I'll be right out there in a couple of minutes."

"But-"

"You have to trust me this time. I _will _be there once I'm done. Cody," he turned to my knight, "I might not know you very well at all, but if Valentine trusts you, so do I. Until I join up with you guys again, I'm leaving you in charge as team leader. Think you can handle it?"

"I won't disappoint", he said pulling Steel Heart out of nowhere. I'm pretty sure it's some sort of dust embedding that allows him to summon his armor and shield whenever he wants, but I don't think that the Draco Scale code allows him to reveal that entirely.

Nimbus smiled, "Then I'll get back to Dawn and put her back together", he hugged me (just as friends, of course), "Be strong." And on that note, he left for the forge.

"It's for the best, Val", Cody told me "I know that he's a strong leader. Whatever he'll do will be for the good of the team."

"It just isn't going to be the same without him", I clutched Merlin's rested form, "I'm just beginning to wonder if avenging his father is getting to him that badly. I trust him, but now I'm just a little concerned."

"It's alright to be concerned", we turned to see Arcee, "It's something else to be worried out of your mind." We stopped as Ozpin gave his address.

He stepped off stage and all of the students went for certain missions. In the blink of an eye, most of the missions were taken.

"Come on, guys! We have to get going before we're late!" I said as I leaped around the room in search of something good.

"If I may," Ozpin walked up to us, "I do have a mission that might suit you."

"Name it!" I said as the team gathered.

"It's a search and destroy mission in the Helios Triangle. I'm sure you've heard of it", he informed us.

"I know that place", Arcee said, "It is a site of brand new Grimm activity where many ships have disappeared without a trace."

"Precisely", Ozpin nodded, "but you'll be in good hands. You'll be joining one of the finest Grimm researchers in Remnant. But I have to warn you all that this may prove strenuous for many of you."

"I can handle it", Oliver stepped forward, "New hunting grounds and all the Grimm I can take; sounds fun to me."

"It's not necessarily the Grimm that I'm worried about", Ozpin pushed up his glasses, "More accurately, I'm referring to how it may prove strenuous on _you,_ of all people."

"With all due respect Ozpin, how hard could it be?" he asked.

"Alright, since you seem so determined I'll sign you up" Ozpin tapped his scroll, "But I need you, Mr. Eastman, to promise me something. While on this mission, you are to be on your best behavior."

"I promise", he put his hand over his heart.

"Then Godspeed", he told all of us as he walked away, "You are to arrive at docking bay number eight in exactly twenty minutes. And do not bring any bags. He has everything you need."

"Hey!" someone yelled, "Team CFVY's back!" We all looked over to see the group of four coming back down the ramp from the docking bay. Team RWBY and NOVA ran in to meet them.

"What happened out there?" I asked.

"The mission was canceled due to high Grimm activity", Velvet told me, "I've never seen so many Grimm before. We wouldn't be able to survive out there at this point." Oliver's eyes showed a sudden predatory glare of interest as his inner Grimm likely savored the thought of hunting such a hoard. I have no doubt that our Grimm Reaper would cut loose.

"Oh, by the way, is Nimbus around?" Velvet asked.

"His weapon was broken in battle. He's finishing up on a new one so he probably won't be joining us", Cody replied.

"Great! Thanks!" she said with a smile and a tilt of one of her rabbit ears as she caught up with her team.

"Look!" I said, pointing over to docking bay eight, "They're ready to go!"

"Let's roll out then!" Oliver went into a spinning ball in the blink of an eye and rocketed down the sidewalk.

"Wait for me!" Arcee fired up her jetpack.

Cody said not a word, but nodded over in that direction before he hid his shield and ran after her

I used my semblance to leap all the way over to the parked bullhead. A man was underneath it making some last minute adjustments. He wore an unbuttoned white lab coat with black pants and boots. The shirt he wore underneath was radiation green.

"Julio! Start her up!" he said and a flash of light sparked underneath the hull and the man jumped in surprise, "That should do it!" he said clapping his hands clean after closing up the maintenance hatch. He rolled back out on that little cart. His face had a couple of black streaks from that miniature explosion down there. He wiped off his glasses and looked at us.

He was probably thirty years of age and had spikey brown hair with a toothbrush goatee.

Oliver jumped back upon seeing him and a snarl rumbled in his throat.

"Damn that Ozpin", he muttered, "He could have at least told me that you were coming!"

"I guess you're not entirely excited to see me, Oliver. Although…I suppose I can't blame you", the man said sheepishly.

"You two know each other?" I asked.

"Quite so", the man said, "You might not have met me before but I know for certain that all of you have at least heard of me. Marcus Maze is the name."

I jumped back suddenly. Marcus Maze owned that lab that Oliver tore up before!

"That Marcus Maze?" I asked.

"The one and only. Grimm Biology extraordinaire", he smiled.

"Oliver please calm down", Arcee pleaded, "You know what Ozpin said."

Oliver growled for a little longer, then let the rumble die down in his throat, "Fine, but this doesn't mean I'm letting you off the hook just yet", he stepped into the bullhead and sat as far away from Marcus as possible, "Let's get this over with."

.

(Arcee)

We flew along over the kingdom and out onto the water. Val and Cody were both looking happily at the view. Marcus was up in the cockpit. Oliver had sat in the very back of the craft and was glaring at the cockpit with a silent hatred.

I silently walked over to him and sat down.

"What do you want, Arcee?" he sighed.

"I just want to know what's bothering you", I put my hand on his shoulder.

"You already know the details. He was the one who did _this _to me", he took out both of his claws, clashed them together twice, then hid them again.

"Well tell me a little more. I have all day", I scooched closer to him.

He chuckled lightly, "You all know where I came from. After my parents died, a hoard of Grimm like no other came and either chased away or killed anyone in their way. But they completely overlooked me. Marcus rushed to the scene to assess the situation, but by then, I was the only one left. We both couldn't believe that I had survived. So he took me in and provided the burials for all who had died there. In the loss of my parents, I looked to him as a father. I looked around to all who worked with him and I saw people, human and Faunus, who lived together without prejudice, just like Granite Bark. He experimented with Grimm DNA, in the hopes of creating a countermeasure. And in that process he created sentient Grimm with auras of their own. They hated humans and Faunus, but just didn't hold that same killing instinct. He gave me Sly, the smartest and most compatible of any of his Grimm, partially a product of human DNA. He's been my little partner ever since."

"So you saw a new hope in Marcus."

"Yeah. But in the end...I only wound up being his lab rat, not his adopted son."

"If you've got that in your head then you've got less control of your Grimm side than I thought", Marcus was leaning on the door listening to us the whole time.

"How long did you plan on this?" Oliver put his forehead on his knees.

"If you must know," Marcus sat down beside us, "since I was fourteen."

"But why did you plan this?" I asked.

"Because I've seen an extent of the Grimm's power that few have ever survived", he turned glum, as though thinking on a tragic past,

"About seventeen years ago, I lived on an island off the coast of Vale. It was located smack dab in the middle of Helios Triangle. This Island was inhabited by a rare race of Faunus known as the Aquarians: a breed of fish Faunus. This island was very much comparable to Granite Bark. But then, a day came when everyone in the island heard a flute, from out at sea. It echoed across the waves and lured everyone out to sea to find the source. But no one knew why they went. But the flute silenced, and we all came back to our senses. Why were we out there to begin with?

"But we found out that we were smack dab on top of the Siren's Well, a trench that was over four miles deep. Out of nowhere, a huge wave crashed down on top of us and overturned our boats. As it happened, we heard the flute once more, now playing a melancholic number, and it stopped soon after. Then just as we began to regain our bearings, people disappeared, one by one, being yanked underwater, never to surface again. Even my own mother was torn from my arms, and only then did I see what killed her. A new breed of shark based Grimm which had never been seen before that day, Trapteeth as I called them. They came out of nowhere and decimated our numbers. Just as the rest of us huddled around the wreckage, they all vanished. We thought we were finally in the clear again until the boat exploded from beneath our feet. I was thrown overboard. By the time I could see again, the boat was merely splinters and not a soul remained. But I saw that _thing's _tail disappear beneath the waves as it dove straight back down into the bottom of the Siren's Well. I was found before any other Grimm could catch me, but by then I was the only one left alive."

Silence followed and I was left hollowed out inside, "What about the last one? What...what was it?"

"Even to this day I don't know. But never before have I seen any creature as large as this one. It's even bigger than this...Insomnia that Ozpin has told me about. But since that day, I've referred to this Grimm only as Nautilus, hoping that one day I could avenge my parents, but I've never seen him since."

"That sounds just like Nimbus", I drooped as I remembered how torn up our leader was after fighting Insomnia.

"So I've heard. But it was this incident that lead me into professional and even military grade Grimm studies", he continued, "But, as you said, countless people joined my cause, both humans and faunus who realized that the enemy was not the opposite race, but rather the creatures of Grimm. Even members of the Schnee Dust Company and the White Fang set aside their differences once and for all to create a new community that would peacefully search for a way to free Remnant from the darkness altogether. And then came the day I met you, Oliver. When I found you in one piece after the Grimm passed through, it reminded me of my own situation. We had both lost our ways of life in our youth. I did and still do see you as my son, even if you despise me. But I don't blame you. I took you in because I saw someone who went through the same pain that I did, someone I could relate to."

"If you did, then why did you turn me into a monster?! Huh?!" Oliver barked.

"For the last time, Oliver, You are not a monster!" he raised his voice a little, "And I was just getting to that. About the same time that Sly came about, I realized that we could mutate Grimm to be docile, intelligent, and even capable of possessing their own auras. But they lacked the control of humans and Faunus. So I began to theorize that we might be able to make a human or Faunus gain the strength of a Grimm. I couldn't bear to have my colleagues be the test subjects, and I was more than willing to undergo the procedure myself. But there was a problem. When we tried to combine even the smallest amount of Grimm DNA with that of humans or Faunus on a petri-dish, there would be dramatic results. Faunus DNA forced out any and all Grimm matter it connected with, and eventually deteriorated from the strain, and human DNA would be consumed by the Grimm matter before they both fell apart.

"So we continued the tests without involving any subjects until we found that human and Faunus DNA _combined_ could neutralize all destructive effects of each other, and could safely withstand one third of the combined strain to be Grimm DNA. That's why Oliver can technically be referred to as a _tri-breed_, because he is exactly one third human, Faunus, and Grimm. We were uncertain of whether or not this would be a safe course of action, so we kept that test running for over three years with no side effects whatsoever. It was determined that this strain could only be effective on a half-breed, you. I wouldn't have given you this power unless I knew for certain that you would be safe, and I was right. It was a difficult decision, and I knew that you would say no right off the bat. Then I realized something. This genetic formula perfectly represents our situation in remnant; _your_ situation!"

"How so?" Oliver asked intrigued.

"You know what I said before: Human and Faunus DNA alone will die at the hands of the Grimm. However only when the two work together can the Grimm DNA can be safely neutralized and even tamed! This real life conflict generates an air that Grimm will pick up from miles away. And if we are still left fighting each other by then, then we will be overrun and destroyed entirely. But if the conflict ends and peace returns, the Grimm will become less active, and power can be perfectly balanced and peacefully controlled between all three! Oliver, this is the exact same peace that once existed in Granite Bark, the peace that your family strove to maintain. That very order is literally in your genes! You are a living, breathing, and perfect example of the fact that humans and Faunus can only survive and thrive through bringing peace! That is why I made you!"

Oliver suddenly stood up shakily, and wobbled over to the door while holding his head. The cabin door opened as we began to fly lower over the water. He shook occasionally and I saw teardrops hitting the floor.

"The lab...what...what have I done?!" he fell to his knees and sniffled, "I hurt all of those people that night...for nothing!"

"Don't be hard on yourself", I told him, "You were just confused, scared. I probably would have done the same thing."

"Besides," Marcus continued, "everyone has made a sound recovery. It'll be alright."

Oliver wiped his face with his sleeve and turned to us with a smile, "Guys, I'm-"

_CHOMP! _All of a sudden, a black form leaped up to the door and engulfed everything above Oliver's waist before dropping back into the water!

"Whoa! Traptooth!" Marcus jumped back in fright.

"OLIVER!" I screamed my lungs dry and we slowed down. I looked to see the Traptooth snapping up my friend just before it hit the water again.

"What happened to him?!" Val ran back to us with a silent Cody close behind her.

"A Traptooth got him!" I said as I suited up, "I'll find him!" But Marcus stopped me.

"Don't", he said with a smirk, "You're underestimating your team mate's abilities. Just watch for a moment. This is exactly what I made him for. And I know from experience that such an interruption from a Grimm would have made him very angry."

We watched that Traptooth circle as it called in the rest of its pack, seven adults and one adolescent perhaps to share in the meal.

"Look!" Cody pointed to the middle as they all converged slowly. There was a flash of black and the Traptooth went belly-up. There was a collective hiss as the infuriated Grimm circled closer. Several black slashing arcs chopped up the water before the Grimm all screamed and their leader exploded with the force of a bomb. Every one of the shark Grimm was in pieces and they slowly dissolved into black flower petal forms, Grimm matter. But the water kept it all from disappearing for a little.

Before that could happen, the Grimm matter began to swirl around the center point, creating their own current until a whirlpool had formed. That maelstrom violently then sucked up every last scrap of Grimm matter until a final explosion of black energy blew it all apart. Everything went still once more.

"WHAAAAAAT?" my jaw dropped.

"That's my boy!" Marcus pushed up his glasses with a smile of approval, "That my friends is why no Grimm will devastate Remnant again."

Another dark form appeared in the water, slowly paddling towards us. Three dorsal fins sprouted from its back just below the shoulders. White armor plating with fins covered its shins and wrists, and a long tail stretched out propelling it forward. Where its head should have been was a large white cone that had rugged yellow and red designs. A closed jaw was the only facial feature. And just below its rib cage was a pair of large gills.

And for the most part, it looked like a Grimm. But I knew better.

I turned on my jet pack and lowered myself to the water.

"Arcee! Be careful!" Val warned me.

"You're still scared of him", I turned to her, "It's just like Marcus said. We have to trust each other. I trust Oliver."

Slowly I hovered towards the circling form, and it turned and slowly paddled towards me before diving down and popping back up with its head sticking out of the water, "Oliver? Are you okay?" I asked cautiously.

The head slowly folded back, the two halves slowly retracting to reveal Oliver with white hair, glimmering midnight blue skin. A Grimm mask formed over his eyes to look like a pair of goggles.

"Well despite the fact that I was eaten alive by a shark, I'm...pretty good actually", he said, "Those Trapteeth are aggressive! Marcus!" he barked to the ship high above us, "I understand. I see why you did what you did. But I just wanted to let you know that if you had at least told me all of _that _beforehand, I probably would have given you permission."

"Then stop floating around and let's get going!" Marcus said and I reached out to take Oliver's hand.

"Look don't take this the wrong way but I can't", he said bluntly.

"What are you saying?!" I raised my voice, "Why not just come in?"

"No, you don't get it, I literally can't", he elaborated with a weak smile, "I don't know if you noticed, but I just absorbed nine Trapteeth. I probably put on an extra two tons. My Traptooth traits are the only things keeping me afloat right now."

"That's right!" Marcus realized, "The bullhead can't take his added weight. He'll have to wait for an hour before the effects wear off."

"I'll be fine", Oliver assured me, "There's a reef that I can rest in for the time being. I'll come back once I'm finished, I promise." I nodded and he suddenly sank beneath the waves with a sigh of relief.

.

(Nimbus)

"Come on, come on!" I growled in frustration as I tried to fit the spring mechanism together. But I couldn't work it in there no matter how hard I tried. At this rate, the team's mission would have ended before I completed Celestial Dawn.

"It was flawless on paper. Why's it happening now?" I asked myself.

"Excuse me." I heard a girl's voice say to me with an irresistible accent. I turned around to see a rabbit Faunus that I was very familiar with.

"Hey, Velvet" I said surprised.

"Nimbus? I just heard that you were having some trouble and I came to see if I could help", she offered, twiddling her thumbs.

"If you could somehow fix this spring action mechanism I would love it", I said despondently.

"What's the matter?" she asked me.

"I've just got a personal agenda that I've harbored for too long. I'm just starting to have doubts, that's all."

"Why not ask your team for help?" she asked as she inspected the weapon.

"It's in regard to something that they can't know just yet. Well….you know." I explained.

"Your kind", she removed the spring, "Have they been like this since the War?"

"Very. The huntsmen up in Stratos don't work in teams like they do down here. Even in the war, we fought alone, not affiliated with either side of the conflict. In the end we cut all ties to any side. Flying solo is just…in my blood. If I'm to complete my goal, I have to be self-reliant. Your allies won't always be reliable when you need them. Our history proves this."

"How does the present not prove you wrong?" Velvet took out a black toolbox and opened it to reveal several mechanical parts all made of vulcanium! She took out her scroll and made the calculations before she began working with some gears and pistons.

"I know about Insomnia", she said surprising me, "I talked to Ozpin and he told me everything. You fought well but in the end, no one can take that monster on alone. But you almost won when your team helped you. I mean, look at this spring", she picked up the piece, "It's strong and resilient. But it lacks structure when working alone." To prove her point, she squeezed the two ends of the spring together and the piece bolted out of her hands as it lost stability.

"I like to see huntsmen and huntresses as gears", she took one out and began to place it in the frame, with three others, "They are made by design to work together in cogs, networks, to offer support to one gear which directly accomplishes the programed objective. One gear alone is often incapable of that. Only as a single unit can the purpose be fulfilled." She clicked a trigger and the gears all turned as the combined mechanism allowed my weapon to go into its ranged form. It had completed the job that a spring couldn't do alone.

I thought on this and closed up my weapon with a smile, "It's complete."

I took the hilt in hand and lifted Dawn. It wasn't as heavy as I anticipated, but it was huge! The outer edge was golden colored vulcanium. The inside was comprised of my broken flight feathers which I had reconstructed to fit the entire inner frame. This part was actually two separate crystals that could come apart with a set of blunted "teeth" to lock them together in melee form. And for the finishing touch, the grip had polished King Taijitu leather.

I swung Dawn a few times after I had Velvet step away for a moment and I finally held it up in the air with both hands and I spread my wings.

"Perfection!" I whispered in delight before I set Dawn to rest on the workbench and rushed to hug Velvet. "I can't thank you enough! You don't have any idea-"

"I know exactly what this means to you", she put her hand on my shoulder, "I understand your drive. But..."

"Hmm?" I looked away from Dawn and back to Velvet as she trailed off.

"Insomnia may be your biggest concern at the moment, but you can't rush it. At some point, something big is going to be more urgent, something will delay you. Just don't loose sight of either one."

.

(Oliver)

That, my friends, is why I don't like trapteeth. But I have to admit that they provide more energy for me than any other Grimm I've seen.

Of course, after a big meal I always get drowsy and I actually wound up sleeping much longer than I should have. In fact it was night time by the time I woke up again. A full moon was out, hiding its own shattered half from the world. What woke me up was a soft sound of a flute. My interest perked up, and I uncoiled myself from that coral spire and followed the sound. I wondered what on earth could possibly create such beautiful music _underwater._

But as I swam, I nearly had a heart attack as I looked down do see pure blackness, even to my faunus eyes. I yelped and cowered back to the edge of the "cliff".

_What the hell is wrong with you?! Keep it together, _I scolded myself for being such a guppy.

In the far distance, something moaned in a volume that you could feel in your chest. There was something down there.

Again I heard the flute, playing in a cheerful seagoing tune that left me feeling confident inside. And it was coming from the blackness below. I felt much better now so I did the natural thing and dove down alongside the Cliffside. As I went, I realized that I only saw so much darkness because it was simply very distant down there, and my night vision soon adjusted.

At depths like this, you begin to see some freaky stuff. I looked into one of the caves beneath me to run face to face with a Creature of Grimm that looked like an angler fish. A little light extended from its forehead to light up the small cavern. It reeled back, extinguished its light and darted back inside with a hiss that echoed through the darkness. I guess it wasn't used to seeing one of my kind down this deep.

Two minutes later, I heard the flute play another two notes in a "Yoo-hoo" like fashion. Something huge shifted positions in the far distance, making me jump. But I reminded myself that sounds are twice as loud and travel at twice the normal speed underwater. Whatever it was probably could have been a mile away from me. As I was thinking of this, my head bumped on the sand below, and I knew I had reached the bottom. It was freezing cold. The only thing that kept this water in a liquid state was the salt content. I shivered from the cold, but paddled forward. Now there wasn't even a trace of natural light. For a moment anyway.

In the far distance, roaming the bed, I saw dozens of slow moving lights drifting around, each slightly illuminating the angler Grimm that owned them. One passed right by me and I reached out to touch its scales. It hissed at me and darted off to a small group which went dark immediately.

Fascinating. That one Grimm could have gone to a much closer group, a few feet away, but instead went to was seemed to be a random portion of the population. Then again, maybe it wasn't so random. Perhaps that was its family group, and it merely warned them of oncoming danger.

I bumped into another one and watched as this one tried to swim in the other direction, but rammed into something huge. It thrashed about for a moment as it was stunned, but immediately disappeared to another group once it regained its bearings. I took a peek at what it ran into and saw a giant hunk of rusting metal. A sunken ship! I looked to the bow to see the name, _RTV Chancellor._

The Chancellor was the name of a famous shipping vessel that disappeared above the Seiren's Well. I found it sickening to realize that I was actually _in_ the Well. I shook off that feeling to scour for loot. I carefully cut a hole in the side of the ship only to find that the cargo bay was nearly empty. Only one crate remained. It was obviously rusted through, so I broke the lock and was greeted by a colorful glow.

"Dust!" I said out loud as I let the crystals fall through my fingers. I quickly stuffed what I could into another less rusted crate and hid it in one of the caves by the trench wall. I could come back for it later. But as I went back for a second load. I saw light. A small submarine was carrying off the loot!

"Get back here! That's mine!" I yelled chasing after the sub. But I stopped when I saw the other ships. Each one of them was torn apart like the Chancellor was after the sub left. They had all been looted of their cargo. And the White Fang's logo on the side of the sub answered who it was.

Change of plans much?

So instead of taking back the loot, I followed them to a curve in the trench and watched as a door opened up in the rocks, allowing the sub to pass through, and me with it.

The airlock drained and I waited for the crew to enter the room form inside before slipping in, now disguised as a White Fang soldier (thanks to my Impostor Semblance). I turned into a dark corner and tried to contact the others.

"Val, Arcee, Cody! Do you read?" I called on my radio, but all I got was static. The rocky trench walls were preventing the signal from getting through. "Damn!"

That meant I was alone, without Sly to help me this time. I took a deep breath and rounded the corner, only to run into someone. There was a figure (a woman judging by the skirt) with red and black robes long, messy black hair a huge katana, and a full Grimm mask over her face.

Upon seeing me, she drew her blade and slashed at me, only I met her with Solace's blade. But I suddenly realized something. She attacked what she thought was a White Fang soldier! She wasn't with them!

"Whoa! Easy!" I said backing away while dropping my semblance, "I'm a friendly!"

"Oh, thank Dust!" she muttered quietly as she sheathed her blade, "I wasn't ready to make an appearance just yet. How in blazes did you get down here?"

"There's a new sub coming in. We better move before they come back!" I told her and we dashed down the hall and into a large dark storage room. We locked the door before we scouted around.

"Alright, the room appears to be secure", she said as she saw no security cameras or soldiers of any sort.

"I honestly thought I was alone down here", I told her, "I only found this place because the Fang Stole my loot."

"_The Chancellor?_" she asked.

"How did you know?"

"I've been monitoring the Fang's actions for some time now. I finally located this place and discovered their Dust operations."

"You got a name?" I asked.

"Raven. You?"

"Oliver...Oliver Eastman." As soon as I said my name, she backed us both against the wall below the bridge. The door above us opened to let in three soldiers who began to do their routine checks. But we already got out of the door as they passed by.

"Now that I think about it, how did _you _get down here?" I asked Raven. But she remained silent, "Come on! I told you!" She shushed me and motioned for me to follow. She led me up to a darkened catwalk that hung over a large room full of conveyor belts carrying dust crystals.

"What is this?" I asked. In response Raven crouched down right beside me, drew her sword, and used the tip to point.

"I've seen many WF Dust operations in my time, but ship salvaging has by far been their greatest collection method", she explained.

"They'll wind up sucking this place dry!" I whispered.

"That's what this section here is for. See that reactor?" she pointed, "That thing is the secret to Project: Crisis. They're developing a new kind of dust that can't burn away. Infinity Dust."

"I thought that only Stardust could do that."

"Exactly. That's how they do it. By applying the correct amounts, they can carry the properties of one to another."

"And you know this works, how?" I questioned. But I saw her pull a swirling red crystal.

"Because I'm equipped with some. Give me your sword for a moment." She took Solace and placed the crystal into the empty Dust chamber in the handle, "That's Rift Dust. Just think about where you want to go and it can take you there." To demonstrate, she took her own sword and slashed in midair to form a spiraling hole. Another one appeared right behind her. She walked into one and came out of another. They both closed, "You have to concentrate first."

"Thanks!" I said, "But what do we do about the rest?"

"First off, they're running out of Stardust. There's plenty more down here, I'm sure of it, but no one has found it."

_Tweet-tooooo! _

I perked up at the sound. "That flute!" I exclaimed.

"What flute?" she asked, "I heard nothing."

"Freeze!" we looked to the sides to see the White Fang soldiers surrounding the bridge.

"Scrap!" Raven muttered. We stood back to back and I let my Grimm mask materialize, "I was hoping that we could go unnoticed for a little longer. Any ideas?"

"You go on ahead while I distract them", I told her calmly. She disappeared without hesitation.

"You would have had a fighting chance with her, but you won't survive long now", someone taunted.

"Neither will Vale!" another cackled, "The plan is already underway!"

"Thanks for the tip", I smiled, flipping over the side of the catwalk and to the factory below and I made a mad dash for the door.

Again I heard the flute, off to my right, and instinctively I followed it instead of the doorway. Sure enough, a dozen goons popped out of that door I almost chose! It was guiding me!

"Alright then! Which way?" I asked, and the flute chirped in response in a happy tone. Telling me to take a left.

I looked to see what looked like a torpedo chamber. I set the timer and direction of the cannon and I hid inside. The airlock began to fill with water and I assumed my aquatic Grimm form just as I was thrown back out. Into the Blackness.

(3rd Person, torpedo room)

"Dammit! We missed him!" one of the Fang banged his fist against the wall.

"Well don't just stand there! Go after him with the subs!"

"That won't be necessary", the leader walked in, "If that was who I believe it was, then we are in too deep. Activate asset Number Four. In the meantime, focus everything we have into finding the VIP."

.

(Valentine)

I woke up to the sound of an explosion.

"Wake up!" Arcee said shaking me awake, "The lab is under attack!"

"What?!" I said sleepily as I sat back up.

"Get your clothes on and get out here! It's the White Fang!" she told me. THAT fully woke me up.

I quickly got dressed and met up with Marcus and Arcee.

"Where's Oliver and Cody?!" I asked.

"Oliver never came back!" Marcus said, "And I haven't seen Cody!"

"Sir!" his secretary came on through his scroll, "The evacuation order has been completed. All faculty and testing equipment have been safely removed from the facility."

"Very good!" he nodded, "I'll be taking the kids in my Bullhead. Get yourself to safety!"

"Yes, sir!" she signed out.

"Arcee, you have to create an opening for us to take off. Once we're out of reach you have to follow us!"

"Okee-dokee!" Arcee said in a serious but cheerful tone as she ran off.

"Marcus! I have to find Cody! We can't leave him!" I told our mentor.

"I was about to tell you the same thing!" Marcus said as we opened the way for the bullhead. But we were met by a dozen guns being cocked.

"Well, Miss Valentine", a woman's voice said. A curvy woman in a White Fang uniform approached from behind, "It took us a long time to track you down. But now there's nowhere to run or hide!"

I immediately snapped out Merlin and made a dive for the woman. She easily ducked beneath the swipe in limbo fashion and kicked me back into the railing to the catwalk. One of the grunts tore Merlin from my hands, grabbed my throat and pinned me to the wall.

"How?!" Marcus growled, looking between the woman and me, "How did you get in?!"

"It may be true that your defenses are more than enough to keep us out, it means nothing to someone who's already on the inside", she clarified.

"You had a spy in here this whole time!" I growled.

"Not just in here. We had a spy in Beacon this whole time!" the woman said,

"DAMN YOU!" an angry voice cried as Cody came out of nowhere and attempted to crush the woman.

She dodged aside, "Speak of the devil", she said turning to him.

My heart skipped a beat. It couldn't be!

"Make a run for it!" Cody said to us.

"Is it true?" I asked, "You helped them?!"

"Now's not the time to question!" he barked.

"IS IT TRUE?!" I roared at him. All was silent until Cody's body began to droop from the weight of his shield.

"It's true", he sighed. His voice and his entire being trembled before my eyes. NEVER, had I seen him as nerve-racked as this.

"After all we've been through you betrayed us! You betrayed your team. You betrayed me!" I yelled at him.

"It's because of what we've been through!" he muttered as his face grew dark "Ever since we met, my one purpose in life was to be your protector. The Fang set you up as a target and promised not to kill you if I complied! And they kept that promise." He opened his eyes again in absolute rage. "Until NOW!" he roared as he aimed his shield at the woman and fired at her. "Val! I cannot afford to lose you! That's why I have to stay and protect—"

_CRACK!_

The woman came back with a kick to his face, sending him over the edge of the rig!

"CODY!" I cried as the grunt let go of me and the woman shoved me into the railing to watch him fall.

"Torchwick was right", the woman said pointing her gun at me, "Worthless piece of machinery for a worthless wannabe huntress."

I closed my eyes and waited for her to pull the trigger.

Suddenly a blur of metal flew beneath the lab between the supports and scooped up Cody before he could hit the water. A bullhead?

"Hey!" the woman barked into the radio, "You had no authorization! State your name and your unit!"

"Uh, boss. That's not our ship!"

"Then all units, open fire on that airship!" she ordered. The other bullheads got in position as the grunts pointed their rockets from the now open cabins of each ship.

In response, the targeted ship flew right above us and hovered there!

"WAIT! DON'T SHOOT!" a grunt panicked.

The woman paled as she saw what was going on, "Hold your fire! If you shoot now, It'll kill all of us!"

The ship slowly lowered itself to the catwalk and red light near the front of the ship lit up, signaling that the ship was now hovering in autopilot. The cabin opened and a ramp stretched out to the catwalk as a single figure stepped out.

What was _he _doing here?

"Nimbus?" I asked.

"Hey Val! Sorry. Did I come at a bad time?" he asked cheerfully.

The woman pointed her pistol at him, "Who are you?! What are you doing here?!

"I'm your opponent", he said calmly as he stepped off onto the catwalk, "So you guys are the White Fang that I've heard about."

"Shut your trap!" she said, "None of this concerns you!"

"No, it does," Nimbus stepped forward slowly, "and as the leader of Team NOVA, I can't let you hurt my friends any longer!"

He flicked his coat as an arc of stardust energy shot out from somewhere beneath it. The bolt slapped the gun out of the woman's hand, giving me just enough time to grab Merlin and dash back to Nimbus' side.

"Val, I need all of you to to get back to Beacon ASAP and give Ozpin a message", Nimbus ordered, "The White Fang is pulling something big in the city limits within a few days, at least that's what I intercepted from the White Fang's com line." The woman growled sharply at this.

"But what about Oliver?" I asked, "He's been missing since-"

"I also heard something about a certain katana toting mutant that's tearing up a sea floor White Fang base", he interrupted, "If I know Oliver, I know he'll be unstoppable if he's fighting at his best, _especially_ if he's fighting the Fang in a natural stockpile of Grimm. I'd be more worried about the poor suckers that get in his way."

"Then let's go!" I began to tug him along, but his hand gripped my shoulder. A shiver ran down my spine as I froze in mid step. That firm grip and that sudden shock of aura was...terrifying. It was nothing like Oliver. Nimbus' aura demanded authority and got it with flare.

"No. I'm staying here for a little while", he said coldly, "I need to give these troublemakers a talk that they won't soon forget. I have my own ride home."

"But-"

"Valentine!" he barked, "You have a job to do out there and I have a job to do in here, something that only I can do. Besides..._she _is ready in case things get nasty." He reached for that weapon grip poking out of the back of his coat's collar. Now I understood.

He had perfected his weapon.

"Just...don't die on us", I ran to the ship.

"And Val. Take care of Cody. He seemed pretty beat up in there", Nimbus said as he turned to the White Fang and our Bullhead took off while Arcee bought us some time.

If only Nimbus knew the truth, Cody would never get a chance to explain himself.

I knew from that shock of aura that Nimbus would kill him if he heard.

.

(Nimbus)

"You fool!" the woman yelled at me, "Do you have any idea how long preparations for this operation took?!"

"Should I even care?" I turned back to them, "Your plan was foiled, so the details are even less than a minute point now."

"Alright, now you're just pissing me off!" the woman fired a shot past my ear. She must have picked up her gun when I was talking to Val a moment ago.

"I've heard a lot about you, but I want to get something straight here and now. What do you think your efforts as the White Fang will accomplish?" I asked.

"Did you honestly just land in Remnant?!" she growled as she swapped her gun for a sword, "We stand up for the Faunus who can't defend themselves, and who lack a voice. We are the voice to humanity that we won't tolerate being treated like monsters any longer! We are the new Halcyons that will lead Remnatnt into a new age, and we will crush any pest that get in our way!"

"Then you're only proving their point", I said, "If you display yourself as the so-called voice of all Faunus in such a way, then you display the false message that every faunus will resort to violence. You're only making yourselves the monsters!"

"Why you..." she gripped her sword.

"Anyway," I sighed, "I'm only going to give you one chance to step away from this fight. If you truly respect the Faunus, then you will turn back to where you came from."

"Like hell! No mere human is going to tell us what to do anymore!" she dashed towards me only to clash her sword against my finest creation.

The outer edge was colored gold, and the inside was the same color as my coat, with the cosmic designs too. It was four and a half feet long, and had a blade that was nine inches wide. It was a giant double edged sword.

"Oh well, I tried. Still, I've been itching to put Dawn into battle, so I have you to thank."

"Damn you and your kind! You'll pay the price for insulting the Faunus!" she yelled as she tried to slash at me again but instead was blown back by a blast of wind.

I laughed in an almost sinister way, "My kind? You don't have any idea who you're talking to! This right here is the truth that will make you eat those words!" I slowly reached for the zipper on my coat and let it fall to the catwalk.

_This is it, _I thought to myself, _There's no going back now. _Finally, my wings snapped open.

The others backed away in absolute horror.

"Halcyon!" the woman trembled, "But your kind is-"

"Dwindling on the edge of extinction", I interrupted, "And you were very right in what you said before. I _did _just land in Remnant!"

"But how could you side with the humans?!" she yelled in an almost desperate tone, "You fought for our equality back then! You are a hero of the Faunus!"

"You all sicken me", I said surprising them, "You all say that the Halcyons would side with the White Fang. We don't! Nor do we side with the humans. The hatred of both humans and faunus alike forced us into your fight to save you all from yourselves! You people wounded us so bitterly that we had to disappear! We thought that our sacrifice would save you,but here you are now, fighting a war that will end up destroying you and the people, humans and faunus alike, that we have sworn to protect! That is the most insulting blow to my people's pride that I have ever heard!"

I flicked my sword forward and I watched as the hilt stretched up the blade to form a hand grip. The blade itself split in half to turn into a railgun! Four magazines formed at the bottom of one of the blade on a circular axis. The axis turned ninety degrees and I fired a shot at the girl who tried to slap it away. But the shot knocked her weapon out of her hands. Before she could look back to me, I had dashed forward and pinned her against the wall with her throat caught in between the top and bottom halves of the gun.

"Let's see. What should I do?" I asked her coldly, "Should I just blow off your head? Or should I just close up the blade and give you a slow painful death?" I reached forward and removed her mask, crushing it in my hands and letting her hood fall. Beneath that was a girl my age with short red hair and dark eyes.

"Is there a choice that involves neither?" she squeaked in fear, and then shrieked as the weapon slowly began to close back up into sword form.

"What do you suspect?" I glared at her as the blades broke skin.

"Please!" she pleaded, "I didn't know! AAAHH!" she screamed as I powered up the crystals, making the cuts hurt even more.

"'You fool!' 'We are the voice of the Faunus.' 'Damn you and your kind!' 'You'll pay the price for insulting the Faunus!' I can't possibly think of a more hypocritical request than that. You show the humans and my friends no mercy. Give me one good reason why I should spare your life now!" With each phrase that was said, her pupils shrank in absolute terror as she ate her own words.

"But to answer your question", I removed the blades and released her, "You're lucky that I have a change in plans."

"Thank you! Thank you so-"

She almost rushed forward to thank me, but my wings flapped hard enough to send her back to the ground.

"Don't give me that! I know that you would still stab me in the back the first chance you get. I'm only sparing you all so I can send a message. Go back to the White Fang, show them your wounds, and tell them what you saw. Tell them all that Nimbus Altos is tired of you trashing my people's name!"

The girl trembled as she tried to sit up. A pair of tear drops fell to the floor and I saw how her eyes had gone bloodshot. She motioned for the others to leave the room, leaving the two of us alone.

"We have no choice", her voice trembled as she held her left cheek, "The people of Remnant won't listen to a simple diplomat anymore. People will only change in the face of crisis and fear. Do you have any idea what it's like being treated like an animal every day? At what point would you snap?"

I forced her up against the wall.

"I snapped exactly one minute ago when I spread my wings. I've seen the results of your work up close and personal, and you're literally creating a monster that will kill us all in the end. I've seen what you've done to Val and Oliver, and hopefully nothing happened with Arcee. I might not know your pain, I might not know prejudice you faced, but you've already hurt me enough to make me snap."

"What do you expect us to do then?" she trembled, We either fight for our place or suffer doing nothing! The people will never listen to a faunus advocate!"

"Have you forgotten who you're talking to?" I asked as I gently sat her down against the wall, "Humans _and _faunus alike still hold the Halcyons in high regard. They _will _listen to me. The moment I spread my wings in front of the world, I'll be there to shut down both sides of the fight. I'll be there with door number three. Anyone who disturbs the peace that the Halcyons fought and died to make, will be brought down without discrimination!"

I knelt down to her sitting height and gently put my hand under your chin, "Please understand that if you simply stop fighting, I can take care of the rest. I can give you all the respect you wanted. If the humans still honor my kind, they will listen to me. Humans and faunus can live in peace."

A long silence filled the air for several seconds.

"Promise.." she trembled.

"Hmm?"

"You promise me that you can make things right!" she raised her voice, looking back to me.

Her hand went to her ear for a moment and her eyes went wide before the sound of a single gunshot filled the air.

Blood splattered, but it wasn't mine. The girl flipped me aside just as a sniper round zipped past me. She had taken the bullet instead.

"The hell?" I whirled around to see one of the grunts in the bullhead putting away a sniper rifle.

"Damn! Missed him", the man just stood there for a moment before he turned serious and spoke into the radio, "Attention all units! The Halcyon has just killed the Lieutenant! I repeat! the Halcyon has just killed our Lieutenant!"

"Abandon the objective and return to Mountain Glenn! Send this report to the trench lab!" someone replied.

I gritted my teeth and roared, "You monsters!" I fired a shot, taking out its engine. I then leaped out there with my feathers charged and Dawn's sword form was practically buzzing from the added power.

"No!" the man screamed as I slashed at him...and sliced the entire ship clean down the middle!

I felt so strong right then, my power kept on rising beyond what I ever expected. My flight feathers grew and glowed with new light.

I pulled the radio from the fallen girl's belt and spoke out to the entire fleet.

"Has it really come down to this?" I asked, "You all are so desperate to get even that you'd kill a soldier and use her death as an excuse. You talk about Faunus equality but you treat your own like pawns and tools! If you guys think that this will go unnoticed, then you are even worse than the Grimm! Crawl back to that hole you came from and tell them all that you have made an enemy of Nimbus Altos!"

We all just stood there for ten seconds before the entire fleet did a volt face back towards the mainland. I then heard the girl back in the lab.

"She's still alive!" I muttered as I zipped back down to her side.

Her breathing was heavy and growing weaker by the second. She was shot in the heart, if not at least skimming the heart.

"That bastard", she groaned, "His timing was impeccable."

"Why did he shoot at me?" I asked, holding her shoulders.

"He...was aiming at both of us, trying to...kill us both with one bullet."

"Why did they shoot?! Why did you save me?!" I raised my voice.

"They saw that my apology was sincere", she coughed up blood, "How else could I apologize?"

I almost gasped. She wasn't just bluffing when I had her pinned down. She really meant it!

"I still can't believe they'd kill another faunus like that", I muttered.

"Half breed", she coughed.

"What's your name?" I asked her as I charged up my aura.

"Samantha", she groaned as I began charging her with my own aura to keep her alive.

"My friend would have loved to meet you. He's a half breed. He was the real peace advocate, not me."

"Wish I could have met him then" she sighed.

"You will" I tried to help her, "If I can just keep you alive until he can come back, he can save you."

"He won't make it in time", she reached for my sword and placed her hand on the stardust interior, "I'm placing my trust in both of you. It's just too bad I won't be able to see it."

Her aura was fading rapidly.

"If your friend", she coughed up a spurt of blood, "is who i think he is, then he'll know what to do."

"Wait! Hold on!" I told her, but Samantha's arms dropped to her side and the life faded from her eyes.

She was gone.

I stabbed my sword into the floor beside me and I closed her eyes.

"Not even members of the White Fang are safe", I muttered to myself. I picked up her body in a bridal carry and brought her over to one of the cryogenic freeze chambers. I laid her down, kissed her on the forehead and froze her in place. After everything was said and done, I'd come back give her a proper burial on the mainland.

Then, a light glow caught my eye. Celestial Dawn was forming a new galaxy inside of the big crystal, this one glowed brighter than any other in my entire stardust stocks. I held my sword's tip to the ground as I knelt in a silent prayer. I was just glad that in the end, she saw the right path.

"You done, Halcyon?"

I turned around to see Arcee leaning back against the wall with her arms (and gauntlets) crossed.

"You saw everything, didn't you?" I smiled weakly.

"Are you kidding? My radar semblance picked up your wings well over a week ago. I just wasn't expecting stardust flight feathers."

"Well, I'm done hiding them. The cat's out of the bag."

"That also explains what you did with that rail gun and the vulcanium I mentioned", she raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah", I lifted Dawn, "A certain Halcyon helped me recover the blueprints. It's going to be the death of Insomnia, I just know it."

Then a certain thought crossed my mind. It was because of the Fang and the turmoil between humans and faunus that was causing Insomnia to grow stronger! He said it himself that negativity made him stronger!

That meant that there was a more immediate threat.

'At some point, something big is going to be more urgent, something will delay you.' Velvet's words ran through my head.

She was right. Something potentially worse than Insomnia was brewing right under my nose. Unless I could shut down the Fang, Insomnia would never die.

As of right now, changing the course of this underground war was my number one priority.

"Arcee, you go back to Beacon with the others", I told her, putting Dawn away, "Right now, I need to follow that fleet and figure out where they're going."

"I'm already ahead of you", Arcee flipped open her gauntlet to reveal a radar "I placed a tracer on the landing gear of the Bullhead. If you're going after them, I have to come along."

(End of Chapter 16)

.

WOOOOOO-HOOOO! BEOWULF IS BACK!

It's been at least a month since I posted on Wings of Remnant, and I am so glad to finally get this one off my shoulders!

First off, I've been planning on Oliver's next adventure, which I can work on while RWBY vol. 3 is in the works. It's going to be a crossover with one of my other stories, where Oliver discovers a secret beyond the comprehension of what Marcus had in mind for him!

I mean, I found so many similarities between the two that I just couldn't let this opportunity pass me by! As the Novelborn, I've decided to take the initiative and intervene with the storyline a little. I can't wait to see what happens next!

In the meantime PM, comment, favorite if you want. I would love to hear from you all!

This is Beowulf, team NOVA, and all of the OC Crew Signing out!


	17. Chapter 17: Beyond Remnant

Chapter 17: Beyond Remnant

(Oliver)

Well, there I was, right back in Davey Jones' Locker. I hid in the ship grave yard for a little while to hide from the patrolling subs. I had to leave before they found me.

_Tweet! _That flute sounded again. That same music had saved my butt _twice _while I was escaping the White Fang's base, leading back out to the open water.

It was official now. Before I could leave, I had to find out what that sound was. So I continued off down the trench, following the sound like in a game of Marco Polo. Occasionally I would whistle back and the flute would chirp happily in response.

"Polo!" a feminine voice called after a flute tweeted.

"Marco!" I replied. Up ahead, a second trench formed in a ninety degree angle split from the first, and I continued straight. But a glimmer off to the right made me go back for a double take. Somewhere along the side of the new trench, I saw a glimmering blue light coming from one of the caves.

"Marco!" I called out, but there was no response this time. All I heard was my voice echoing. So I followed my gut and sought out that light. I looked and saw the immense size of the cave opening. I swam up to it and peeked inside.

In the middle of the chamber, large enough to fit all of Beacon Academy in, was a giant Stardust crystal. It was the size of a royal airship and glowed with new colors that simply weren't present in the crystals I've seen before. I could see clearly that this one was hollow, heck, there was even air in the upper reaches. Down below, I could see something that looked like a large barred window, like a prison cell. In that room was a single human figure. I gasped slightly.

She was my age, I think, and exactly my height. Her hair was long (and I mean _knee-length _long) and a deep ocean blue/green. Her eyes were kind, and colored violet, like Yang's were. Her body was slim and curvy with a thin waist and an amble bosom (absolute perfection if I might add). Her arms and legs were long and elegant and her skin was pale, without even a hint of blemish. She wore a pair of tight fitting pants that only went just below her knees, and a simple grey shirt. Both were seeming to wither away at the sleeves, almost as though they were ancient.

In her hands was a shining silver flute. She was the one who played that music this whole time! It was even possible that she could have played on the day Marcus lost his family. As for how she survived these conditions, I saw tiny gills on the sides of her neck. A fish Faunus!

But above all, I found her desperately alluring to me. I wanted her more than anything else! I darted into the cave and right by the large barred up window, hiding my Grimm features (minus the gills).

She took a deep breath and lifted the flute to her lips, but she put it back down despondently before she could play a single note. She sniffed quietly and lifted the instrument to her neck, and a blade sprung from one end!

"WAIT!" I barked, but with a demonic voice (by accident), but she ignored me. I quickly whipped out Solace and dashed through a portal into the cell. "**I SAID WAIT!"** I grabbed the weaponized flute before the girl could slit her own throat.

_Now _she noticed me. She looked back at me, quietly gasped, and backed up against a wall at the far side of the room.

"What the hell are you thinking?!" I growled, hiding the flute's blade.

The girl seemed to calm down for a moment, shaking her head "No, no, no. I'm just imagining things. No one could make it down this far", she sat down drooping again, "Maybe I really am going insane."

"That does it", I put some electric dust in my hand, "SNAP OUT OF IT!" I sent an electric charge through the water, stunning the girl…..and me. The Stardust prison around us began to glow brighter in response to the sudden aura spike.

While we were both trying to shake off that feeling, the girl backed up against the wall and her eyes widened as she felt its surface. "Aura. But that means…Oh Dust! You're real!"

"Of course I'm real! Are you really that unsure of yourself?!" I asked her, deactivating all Grimm features that weren't being used to keep me alive at these depths. She swam forward suddenly and cautiously touched my shoulder, reeling back on contact.

"So that aura from before, that was you! I thought that either you had died or I was imagining the whole thing. I guess it's just been years since I've seen a living person."

"How long have you been stuck down here?" I asked looking around at the large, underwater "estate".

"For as long as I can remember. I've always been here."

"Do you….have a name?" I asked.

"Well…no, not really. I just never really thought about whether or not I have one."

_Good gosh! She really has been alone for her whole life!_

"Um…could I…" she looked back to her flute and I handed it to her, but prepared to act in case she tried to kill herself. But thankfully she didn't.

"It was…..beautiful", I told her and she blushed "I've never heard someone play the flute like that before."

She fidgeted nervously.

"Hey. I think I know what to call you. How about Melody?"

.

After a little while, we began talking and she showed me around her elegant abode. It was like a mansion, everything carved out for a comfortable lifestyle. I didn't understand how she could still be so happy even though she was so alone. But if she was alone, all this time, how did she learn to swim, walk, and talk normally? This one puzzle piece didn't fit. But as she asked me about where I came from, I could sense her aura. I've only met a few people with hearts that even come to how sweet she genuinely was. Even though she was alone, she was hopeful once more.

"Melody, tell me. Was there anyone or anything that was down here with you?"

"Well, there was one, but I never knew his name. He taught me to swim, talk, and play the flute. Of course he always told me that my flute would call in new friends, but I haven't been successful before."

We took a left at one of the corridors and found a lovely little room. It was furnished with coral, jewelry and all sorts of sunken treasures. But on the far side of the room, there was a gelatin mass that looked and felt as soft as the top of a jellyfish. She flopped back onto it, and I made the conclusion that this must have been her bed.

"Look," she said with a blush, "I know I might be acting a bit pushy but…could you…stay here?"

She laid back on the bed, and she began to quietly hum. That song. Before I realized it, I was slowly walking towards her. Instinct was beginning to take control of me. But I realized that this was her power. Her voice, and the music she played, had a literally hypnotic effect. It was like the sirens from the old sailor stories.

But unlike the stories, Melody's intent was pure. All this time she was all alone, with no real friends and this…person or thing that kept her locked away.

She had a pain that was even worse than mine.

"Melody, I would love to…" I forced myself to stop, "but my friends need me. I can't just leave them all behind."

"But I-."

_SHUNK!_

Something lightly shoved me forward from behind and Melody gasped in horror. I followed her gaze and looked to see a jagged harpoon point sprouting from just below my sternum! I felt nothing at first, but the pain began to grow.

"Kill the boy!" a voice said as several footsteps sounded, "Bring the girl in unharmed!"

"Melody! Run!" I yelled as another harpoon shot through the left side of my ribcage. I gasped for air, and I knew that a lung was ruptured. The last thing I saw as I turned around was the slashing blade of a White Fang grunt.

All went black.

.

(Arcee)

Nimbus and I flew high above the clouds as we traced the White Fang fleet back to an abandoned city outside of Vale. We landed on top of the tallest building we could find. It was still night time. But we could both see clearly in the light of a full moon.

"Mountain Glen?" I asked, "Why here of all places?"

"It's isolated, uninhabited by humans or Faunus, and has been fenced off for years. What sensible bad guy wouldn't pick a site like this?" Nimbus pointed out, checking his binoculars.

"That's not what I meant", I corrected, "You remember what we told you about Granite Bark?"

"Yeah, that place is the Grimm capitol of Vacuo."

"Multiply that by seven point five and what you get is Mountain Glen", I said looking around.

The trees in the far distance shook, causing Nimbus to instantly perk up and look in that direction. A massive black and white form emerged from the forest, followed by at least a dozen others of a similar size.

"No freaking way!" Nimbus went over to the edge of the building and fitted his railgun with a scope attachment, and got into prone position. He silently motioned for me to follow, "Are those really what I think they are?"

"Goliaths", I confirmed "On average, they're the largest land based Grimm in all of Remnant."

"Fantastic!" he muttered to himself as he looked down the sight towards the elephant Grimm, "They must have lived for a few hundred years! I've never heard of one that big before!"

The Matriarch at the front stopped the herd, turned back around and called out to the woods behind them all. The call of a Goliath sounds something like that of their animal counterparts, but had a deep rumbling growl at the back of the throat. A few higher pitched calls sounded in the woods as the brush exploded to reveal a group of three calves, standing only ten feet tall. They were participating in some brotherly roughhousing without a care in the world. They began to move to the front of the herd towards the matriarch.

"Watch this", Nimbus said as he cleared his throat, cupped his hands around his mouth, and called out to the Grimm in a perfect imitation of a newly matured Goliath. The calves in the distance heard him, called back, and began to sprint in our direction. But the matriarch had a much stronger sense of urgency, and called the calves, returning them to the herd.

The matriarch looked in our direction, then reached down and picked up a rock the size of a basketball in the tip of its trunk. Then, she aimed her long nose at us and exhaled at full force.

"Incoming!" I said, pushing Nimbus aside as that same rock slammed right into the place he was in a moment before! The Goliath had just tried to snipe us down, using her own trunk as an artillery cannon! She let out a brief, but angered trumpet at us before calling its heard and continuing along the selected trail.

"I think she knew it was me", Nimbus laughed nervously "But I've never seen a full grown Grimm back down from a fight."

"They're smarter than they look. They don't have interest in fighting us. She just didn't want you interrupting their march", I explained.

"I realize that. I just didn't think that she'd do _that", _he laughed.

_CRACK!_

A few blocks away, I heard the sound of splitting concrete. I looked down the street to see a massive sinkhole in the middle of the street. Beside it, I saw a little black and white dog, barking into the hole. A red scythe was lying right beside it.

"Crescent Rose!" Nimbus dove down and picked up the weapon, "That means that Ruby's down there!"

"Let's go then!" I began to jump but he held me back.

"No. I need you to fly back to Beacon as fast as you can and tell Ozpin and Ironwood what we found. We now know for a fact that the White Fang is in the city limits! Zweii will find the rest of the team."

"Are you sure?" I asked.

"I'm positive. We have to divide and conquer this time! Besides, You won't be able to follow me where I'm going"

.

(Oliver)

My eyes snapped open and I sat upright. I put my hands to my torn clothes and found that my would-be mortal wounds had healed. If I hadn't absorbed that pack of trapteeth, I would really be sleeping with the fishes.

I was now at the bottom of this section of the trench and the cave was just above me.

"Melody?" I asked quietly, then darted off to the cave, "Melody!"

But she was gone. The hole in the cave had nearly doubled in size and the entire stardust crystal was taken. A glimmer of silver caught my eye and I dived down to pick up Melody's flute. She must have dropped it.

I held it close. True, I didn't know her for more than an hour, but Melody was stuck in my head. More than that, I knew who took her.

I clenched my empty right fist and activated my aquatic Grimm features, roared, and darted back into the trench in a rage. My aura flared, and every Grimm in the vicinity ran for cover. I found the airlock and used Solace to warp inside (hiding my Grimm features). The startled grunts drew their weapons in surprise as I appeared out of thin air.

"You there! Identify yourself!" a guy with an Uzi commanded.

"Where is she?" I asked, gripping the handle of Solace. But no one answered, "Then get out of my way!" I rolled up into a Boarbatusk ball and began bowling over the competition. And the room was cleared in mere moments.

I ducked down the main hallway after I finished stuffing them all into a broom closet, disguised as one of the female grunts I took down a moment before.

I ran down the halls that I took on my first trip and found the dust foundry. Now, near the end of the room was a giant pile of Stardust crystals: what was left of Melody's prison cell. I walked over and began to take a look.

If I was going to save Melody, I had to up my weaponry. I walked along the conveyor belt and saw how the dust was changed to this enhanced form. All of them looked similar to the original forms, but they all had some sort of nebula design on the inside. I didn't know what most of them actually did. There were actually so many available that occasionally a soldier would reach out and take a piece for themselves. The higher ranked soldiers on guard saw this clearly, but didn't mind. With this in mind, I took a few with properties that I already knew.

The machine rumbled for a moment, then suddenly spat out a freeze dust crystal and a full Stardust crystal, before continuing on with making the intended product. I picked them both up and threw the ice dust back onto the line into the machine.

I looked at this crystal with a momentary sense of grief. I remembered the first time I came into contact with this substance. It was almost a week ago, when Nimbus had been impaled in his fight with Insomnia the super Grimm. It was this same substance that literally came out of nowhere and nearly killed my team leader.

Even if that hadn't happened, I still wouldn't have liked this stuff initially. In its raw form, Stardust seemed to have its own power. Actually, it was more than just power, it was a _presence_ in itself! Yet no one else seemed to notice, because their senses are naturally flooded by their own aura.

I was different. Grimm, in having no aura at all, were extremely sensitive, and could pick up even the tiniest of traces of aura from any source. Even though I had my own aura, I could still sense other sources like a Grimm.

But this presence was backed up by something else, a separate aura! It made me wonder how on earth something like this could ever find its way to the darkness of the Siren's Well.

A subtle thought crossed my mind and I almost let it slip. But I went wide eyed as I did a sudden double take. The blood drained from my face as I paled with fear. The trench and the surrounding area were the site of the most disappearances, shipwrecks, and deaths in Remnant, other than the battlegrounds of the Great War. And yet, this crystal was nearly impossible to find _and_ it had an aura of its own!

It might be possible that these crystals were made from the auras of dying humans _and _Faunus, draining their aura before allowing their souls to pass to the afterlife!

I nearly dropped the crystal in silent shock. I know it might sound crazy, but this had to be the secret behind the gems. After all, an unlimited ammo supply is something that can't come about without a cost. Their souls weren't in there; that was impossible. But it might be the work of a forced aura transfusion, meaning that all of the person's energy from this life, was molded into these.

Thankfully, the White Fang didn't seem to know this, which explains why they had to go hunting for this material.

I looked at the shard in my hand and I clenched it tight, enough so for some raw Grimm matter to drift out of my hand (unintentionally). Not even the remains of the dead could escape the White Fang's grasp.

_TSSSS! _The crystal hissed in my hand as the Grimm matter came into contact with it. I quickly shut off my Grimm matter, but by then, the crystal had identified the new substance. In a brief pulse, feeding off of my own aura, the crystal pulled in every speck of Grimm matter, and finally changing color. The crystal was black now, no longer transparent. It looked more like a piece of obsidian now. The only other feature was a single orange point the size of a marble in the very center that glowed like a small, dimly lit flame.

That was new. I've never heard of black dust before. I reached down to grab it, but it immediately flew into my right hand, and I mean that it impaled the palm of my hand with one of the sharpened points!

I almost screamed, but covered my mouth to suppress it. _DAMN THAT HURT!_

I ducked into one of the hallways as I began to try and remove the shard, but my sudden movement caught the attention of some of the guards.

"Lisa!" one of them called briskly walking over, "What happened?!"

"I don't know", I said. The sound of "my" voice almost made me jump. I forgot that I disguised myself as a girl, "Is there such a thing as magnetic dust? If so, a shard just got me."

"Come on then!" another girl said, "We need to get you to the meeting room. The medics are there."

"I'll be alright", I insisted, hiding my hand. But by this point, I saw that the shard had changed shape. A small, prism shaped crystal was in my hand and broke skin on both sides. My Grimm side must have detected it as a source of Grimm matter and automatically fused the crystal to my body! I didn't know what this gem was, let alone what it could do now. But at least my "new hand" wasn't bleeding anymore.

I could hear the captain speaking to the new recruits from down the hallway, accompanied by a much quieter feminine voice, one that sounded awfully familiar.

"I see, we have further proof that this atrocity was the work of the humans. Just like Granite Bark", the Captain said solemnly, pulling a mumble of agreement from everyone "But you are lucky to be here now, and we're lucky to have you."

"I'm just glad that my guardian was there to tell me. If it weren't for him….I wouldn't be here", the girl's voice continued, "I want to see them pay for what they did."

No. That voice. Anything but _that_ voice!

We entered the meeting room where about thirty or so initiates. Two lieutenants, a captain, and a recruit stood up front. I nearly dropped my disguise in sheer dread.

That new recruit, standing up at the front, was Melody.

.

I felt cold. Melody, of all people. Why would she join the Fang?! And now they were blaming the Granite Bark Tragedy on the humans! My blood boiled, but I tried not to show it. I was just an inch away from snapping open my claws.

"Captain!" a man ran in out of breath, "Urgent news from the surface! All of Faction Epsilon is retreating from the objective!"

"The task wasn't completed?!" the captain pounded his fist on the table, "They better have a really good explanation for this!"

"I was just getting to that", the man continued "The head of the operation has confirmed the presence of a Halcyon huntsman in the vicinity as we speak!"

"Halcyon?!" everybody chattered excitedly about the news. I was surprised to hear this.

"Well! A Halcyon's return is an event that would call for a cease fire! I suppose she made the right choice in halting the mission for now", the captain said happily.

"That's not why she's retreating!" the messenger said silencing everyone, "The young Halcyon defended Vance and nearly killed Lieutenant Samantha!"

Everyone else gasped in horror, "He…..fought us?"

"Yes. He said, and I quote, 'You all say that the Halcyons would side with the White Fang. We don't! Nor do we side with the humans either. I've seen and heard enough to know that you, the White Fang, are the very scum of existence, even lower than the Grimm! We're tired of you trashing our name!'"

The Captain was trembling with fear, "We can't have this! Humans _and_ Faunus honored the Halcyons for ending the war! If this boy reveals his words to the world, the people would all come after us and we will have failed! This…leaves us with no other option", he paused for a moment before he mustered up his bearings and said, "Give me the description. What does he look like?"

"Tall with orange hair, stardust eyes, and he has grey wings with stardust flight feathers, and he carries a giant sword that changes into a railgun. His name was…Altos. Nimbus Altos."

WHOA! PLOT TWIST! I did not see that one coming! All this time, and long before I joined the team, Nimbus was hiding _wings_ under that coat! Then something occurred to me, _Stardust flight feathers!_

That meant that his feathers could grow back, and in the form of sacrificial Stardust! Maybe that was his semblance all along.

"Well then, tell the group at mountain Glen to keep an eye open for this…Nimbus Altos. As much as it pains me to say it, this Halcyon poses a bigger threat to us than the kingdoms' armies!" the Captain pointed out.

"What?! How is that even possible! He's just one kid!" a grunt in the audience spoke up.

"Our captain holds a good point. Altos can use his identity to rally up forces against us", another continued.

"Forces that include other Faunus! If you get the favor of the people, you win the war" the Captain picked up "Inform all members of the White Fang that if this plan is to go swimmingly, we have to eliminate this new threat before he contaminates the minds of our brethren! As of right now, Nimbus Altos is our top priority!"

"Not quite!" a feminine voice said as a woman walked in, "We have a more immediate threat within this very base! It's…what are you guys looking at?"

_Uh-oh._

Everyone in the room looked between the new arrival and me. I turned around and looked right into the eyes of a blonde haired woman with fox ears.

The same woman whom I was disguised as. She had woken up!

I kept my composure and tried to play along as she looked at me with absolute confusion.

"What the heck?" I asked as I walked up closer to her, cautiously poking her shoulder and reeling my hand back.

"Interesting", the captain said scratching his chin, but he smiled and said, "Lisa's. Code RID5."

In an instant, Lisa whipped off her right glove and I followed suit. But I failed to take note of two things. One: Lisa had a fox tattoo on her right hand. Two: I still had the black crystal in my right hand!

I giggled in nervousness, "Oh well, at least I tried." The leader pulled out his pistol and shot me twice in the shoulder. I dropped back to the ground, laid there for a moment, and then stood right back up as my wounds healed.

"You know, I'm actually beginning to lose track of how many times you've killed me!" I smiled.

The grunts backed away.

"Who are you?!" the leader drew a large sword from his back.

"You mean you don't remember me? Whatever, I'll just cut to the chase." I peeled out in a ball as I rolled up to Melody, got behind her and held Solace to her throat, "Nobody move!"

"That sword! It's him!" Lisa said.

"Him?" Melody asked, and I held the sword gently against her skin.

"What do you want?" the captain said.

"You know, you really are quick to blame the humans for the Granite Bark incident. Not that you'd know anything about it. The Fang was there, and you all slaughtered the people who gave you a safe haven!"

"You side with the humans?!" he growled, "And how do you know so much about Granite Bark?!"

"Because I was there when you people killed my parents. I am Granite Bark's sole survivor," I dropped my disguise, "Oliver Eastman!"

"Oliver?!" Melody gasped, "You're alive?!"

"Yes and I'm rather ticked off by the fact that these guys harpooned me twice about an hour ago! In fact, I placed my life on the line to save your life, and what do you do? You turn on me!" I left a light cut on her throat, "And I don't know where you got the idea of the humans attacking your island home! It isn't true!"

_RRROOOOOOOOOOOWWWLLL!_

A deep groaning voice echoed through the base and shook the ground beneath our feet.

"Oh no!" Melody muttered, "He's here!"

"Who's here?" I asked.

"My…guardian", Melody trembled. The entire base shook and the alarms blared.

"They're starting the evacuation?!" Lisa gasped.

"Everyone to the escape pods!" the captain ordered and everyone ran for their lives, "Melody!"

"No! She's going with me. I can get her out safely, but I will not have her go with you!" I thrust my right hand forward and activated the crystal in my hand. A blast of black energy forced the captain back into the hall just as the door closed. I took my blades away from Melody's throat and pushed her down against the wall.

"Why are you doing this?!" she cried.

"I'm asking the questions here!" I barked, "What really happened to you this whole time?!"

Melody was silent for a full twenty seconds.

"He…..told me that the humans killed my family. He saved me when I was just a baby and protected me by feeding off of the songs I played for him since the day I learned how!" Tears were in her eyes now.

"He lied to you", I said as my face darkened, "My foster father was there when they died. The islanders went out to sea and were attacked by the Grimm, including a giant Grimm unlike anything the world has ever known. And do you know why they came out there?" I pulled out Melody's flute and stabbed its blade into the wall "They went out to sea following the sound of _your_ flute! All that time when you thought your guardian was feeding off of your song, you called in victims to satiate _his _hunger! The only reason he kept you alive was to use your powers to his own gain!" I looked to a glass window in another room and saw a giant black shape banging against the glass, "And now I know who he is."

A yellow glow appeared outside and I saw a yellow ball of energy forming. The light illuminated the form of a Grimm that looked like a mix between a whale, an eel, and a shark that completely dwarfed Insomnia in every way!

"You wretch! How dare you defy me!" its voice boomed. That energy ball doubled, then even tripled in size before blasting through the glass and sending water into the base!

I sighed, and used Solace to open a portal which I began to walk through. Melody tried to follow.

"Please! Ake me with you!" she pleaded but I pushed her away.

"Not on your life", I hissed quietly, "I'm beginning to think that you deserve to be left down here after all you've done, especially to your own family." I disappeared.

"NO! Please!" she cried as water built up in the other room, thousands of pounds of pressure begging to break down the door within a matter of seconds.

"I told you before, that you would find nothing in the world outside, and now you've eliminated my food supply!" the giant growled, "Now you shall receive what you came for!" another beam charged up and Melody backed into the corner of the room. But she looked beside her and found her flute, and extended the blade and put it to her throat once more.

"I'm sorry, Mom, Dad…..Oliver", she trembled before I reached back through the portal and grabbed her hand.

"Did you actually think I would leave you here to die?" I smiled at her.

"Oliver…..but I thought you-."

"I understand that you didn't know any better; you were raised that way. I only wanted you to understand the truth so it didn't eat you alive in the end. I was right: your intentions were true in the end, as was your remorse", I carefully picked her up in a bridal carry, "That's all that matters."

"YOU!" the monster outside said, still holding its laser in a ball "You're that troublesome tri-breed that Insomnia had to deal with!"

My eyebrows raised, "Insomnia? You know him?"

"That is not your concern", the giant glared.

"But I know you. Your name is Nautilus. It's amazing how big a Grimm can grow", I snickered.

"SILENCE!" he roared as the beam fired and I was forced to activate the portal early I leaped inside with Melody, but watched as the portal changed from red to black. That crystal in my hand had activated!

"Melody! Hold on!" I said holding her tight as we were spat out the other end into a soft layer of grey sand and we rolled down the slope of a giant dune.

"Melody! Are you okay?!" I asked as I stood her back up and brushed her off. Her White Fang armor had fallen away, revealing Melody as I first saw her.

"I'm alright", she hugged me tight, "But is this….the surface?"

I looked around to see a pitch black sky over a desert of grey sand. Trees sprouted but bore no leaves. And the only reason that this place wasn't pitch black, was because of the light of the crescent moon. I mean it was a crescent of a complete moon, not like the shattered moon back in Remnant.

"Melody pointed to the far side of the canyon to reveal a swarm of strange looking Grimm. I've never seen breeds like these before, and not all of the Grimm were black and white! They had masks, but that was all that made them alike in any way. Four of them crowded around a large fallen Grimm and began to tear away at the corpse!

"What kind of fresh hell is this?!" I muttered, "Grimm always stand up for each other! Why have these Grimm turned cannibal?!"

More than that, I sensed an energy coming from these Grimm. Was that aura?

One of them, the one who looked like a giant spider, lifted his head, sniffed then turned to us, "Boys, do you smell that?"

Another one which looked like a large lizard sniffed "Yeah! It's those two! I don't know what that is they're emitting, but I want some!"

"They talk!" Melody backed up behind me.

"I don't know what's going on, but these aren't ordinary Grimm", I growled as I sheathed Solace "But whatever they are, I want a taste."

"HUNGRY!" the lizard jumped towards Melody, but I grabbed her and leaped away…a hundred freaking yards away in a single leap!

I was shocked by this. I was never capable of this before! But it was then that I detected a giant energy source, I don't know what, but it was in everything, and the air was jam packed with it!

"I feel….amazing!" I said looking at myself, "Stay here Melody."

"Come back here!" the Grimm cried.

"I'll come back, alright!" I dashed forward and slashed that Grimm in four. Its head was still intact. Instinctively I walked over and absorbed its mask. I felt no weight at all.

"FU!" one of the other Grimm called to their fallen comrade, "What is that?!"

I finished off the Grimm and stood back up. But I suddenly felt sick to my stomach and spat something back out, something glowing and blue. Whatever it was it exploded within seconds, turning into hundreds of glowing blue wisps that flew into the sky and disappeared.

_BZZZT!_ One of the Grimm suddenly appeared beside me in an instant and tried to cut me to ribbons, but I caught its sharpened claw with my right hand. That crystal had enveloped my arm in a black flickering energy.

"What did you do to Fu?!" he demanded.

"Don't know. I would call that absorbing their remains if I spat him back out. But whatever this power is that you have, I want it!" I sliced off its head and my crystal absorbed the mask and not the blue thing this time. It disappeared like the first. Another one came after me.

_BZZZT! _I tried to dodge but wound up flickering off in that same direction at a nearly untraceable speed!

I couldn't believe it! This power was beyond my imagination! It was intoxicating!

"Hey!" A voice said as Raven came out of nowhere with Melody in hand as she teleported us back into an untouched portion of the White Fang's Base.

"What was that for?!" I asked.

"What were you thinking? You aren't ready to face that world!" Raven nearly yelled, "And it nearly killed _her!_"

"Melody!" I looked to the girl who was now lying on the ground unconscious, "What happened?!"

"The air in that world is contaminated with an unknown form of energy matter, toxic to almost any living thing after prolonged exposure. You're lucky that you're part Grimm, or you'd be dead right now."

I sat down and held Melody in a bridal carry as I sat down.

Dang, she looked so pretty right now. I hesitated at first, but I slowly leaned in and kissed her on the lips for a moment.

"Will she live?" I asked.

"She'll be alright after a good rest. But we don't have much time. Your friends need you now more than ever."

(End of Chapter 17)

.

HEEYO! Beowulf returns!

For those of you who paid good attention to this chapter, you'll see that this was a key point in Oliver's next string of adventures, which I will personally document in a separate story.

Anyway, now we have a theory as to where Stardust comes from, and even a possible race of super Grimm. I can't wait to get the next chapter posted!

Great news! For those of you who haven't already heard, RS is continuing RWBY! They found some of Monty's animations for volume three, so S2 E12 won't be the last we see of Mr. Oum! The hiatus will be a _little _bit longer, but the entire RS animation Squad will be all over the series once the script is done.

That's where Oliver's adventures will come into play. It Is gonna be awesome!

This is Beowulf and the entire OC Crew Signing out!


	18. Chapter 18: Who Do You Fight For?

Chapter 18: Who do you fight for?

**AN/ **

**Before you read this, I made a slight change to the middle of chapter 17, at the end of Nimbus' point of view. Check it out before you read on.**

(Valentine)

I couldn't take it much longer.

Oliver vanishing, the White Fang attack, Cody's secret, all of it. It was all coming at me too fast to let me even think straight.

Right now, Marcus, Cody, and I were on a bullhead and nearing Beacon. But we flew in silence for a long while.

Cody. Him of all people, a spy? But even when he tried to protect me back in the lab, something else about him was just plain off.

"You okay?" he asked quietly while looking back at the window. I looked away and sighed.

"You want an honest answer?" I asked emotionlessly, "But why me? What could they possibly want with me?" A long silence followed.

"Leverage", he answered simply, "They needed someone close to the royal family to use as a hostage."

"But why the royal family?" I calmly demanded specifics.

He huffed quietly, "You came to Beacon partially because of the White Fang and you don't even know what they wanted? Well, they have nothing against us, even though we're humans. They want the Royal Family to back out of their alliance with the Fang's real enemies."

The Schnee family. It made sense, now that I thought about it. We've been supporting the Schnee's for as long as I can remember. The company was almost a kingdom in itself.

"They merely saw the Royal Family as a nuisance," Cody continued, "so they devised a plan to remove them from the equation without the extra effort. They planned to take you hostage and would only keep you alive if your family abandoned the Schnee's. I'm….partially to blame for that."

"And you fell for it?" I growled quietly, "You were convinced that they'd succeed? You believed that I couldn't protect myself?!"

"I didn't believe. I _knew _you wouldn't be safe!" he barked. I was left breathless at what he said, "I know that you wanted to be a huntress more than anything. You may have the drive greater than anyone I know, but you don't have what it takes. Your strength, your aura, your semblance, they're not designed for high level combat."

"W-W-What are you saying?!" I yelled at him, "From the day I lost you, I've trained to be my own knight! I wasn't going to lose another knight! I trained until bones nearly cracked to make sure you didn't die in vain! How can you say I'm not ready?!"

"If you were strong enough, you could have protected yourself back at the lab. You and I both know that I would beat you in a fight, and yet I was nearly killed by that White Fang soldier! The White Fang is packed with people even stronger than her! No matter what you would have done, you would have been killed. If you still don't believe me…." He began to remove his shirt and my eyes went wide.

Beneath that shirt was a plethora of scars and stitching. The metal parts didn't stop at his arm. They crossed over to his left ribcage, where I could visibly see his heart pulsing in an almost mechanical way. Countless other wounds left their permanent scarring.

"What…. Did they do to you?" I said, absolutely shaken.

"I didn't die back when you thought I did. I died four times since. The White Fang are holding a man hostage. He's an Atlesian scientist, one who is so skilled with medicine and machines, that he can bring any human or Faunus back to life, so long as the brain is intact and the body hasn't rotted. I attempted to run after I regained consciousness, but I was killed. The scientist revived me, as the Fang requested, and because he couldn't watch a man die. But the most extreme of the White Fang tortured me for information", he shivered, "They were brutal, merciless. I would have rather have died than experience that again. But I would have rather died than tell them anything. So they granted that wish. They shattered my legs at the femur and let me bleed out. The scientist was forced to revive me again. I still refused. Then they laid me out on a table, reached into my chest, crushed my heart, and just after I refused to tell them anything, they tore it out in front of my own eyes!"

With that last word, he pounded his right fist over his heart, making an audible metallic _BOOM! _I gulped as I processed what he just told me.

"I died to protect you, _thrice, _and I didn't waver. Then they tried threatening you if I didn't cooperate. This time around, I fought back and nearly escaped. But then _he _came out of nowhere and cut me in half. That fourth death was what made me see that if I died again I wouldn't be saving anyone. I had to cooperate or you would die! I was so confident that you wouldn't be able to defend yourself that I became more scared than I was in the face of death, four times over! That is why even I couldn't save you a few moments ago!"

"But I….." I was at a loss for words.

"Look," he continued, "you're the only heir to the Mistralian throne now. You're a princess. Your life is too valuable to lose on the field of battle. I was quiet about it before I even disappeared because we could afford it. But not anymore."

The ship lurched as we pulled into Beacon. The cabin opened and all of us leaped out of the ship.

"So I'm only going to say it once. If they catch you again, it's over for all of us. For now, we have to leave this to the professionals." He walked away.

…

…

I just couldn't believe it. I was strong enough to keep up with Weiss! I fought against a giant mech suit and walked away from it without a scratch! I reached behind my back and held Merlin in my hands as it fully extended.

I squeezed the handle tightly as my semblance powered up making me heavy enough in an instant to crack the concrete. Cody whirled around in the distance, just as I reversed my semblance and rocketed off into the Emerald Forest. _Far_ into the Emerald Forest.

.

(Nimbus)

(Stratos)

I never imagined that I'd come back here. But desperate time call for desperate measures. I arched over the edge and landed on the ground, startling some of the nearby trainees.

"Come on already!" Zepher whined, "Why won't you just stay dead?!" I ignored him and walked straight for the gate.

"Stop right there, Altos!" one of the guards said as they drew their weapons, "You're not coming back in this time!"

"Let me pass. I have to speak to the council, now", I said.

"Like hell! You've been charged with several offenses. Entering now would be suicide-WHOA!" they dodged out of the way as Dawn turned into a railgun and blasted down the gate.

"I didn't ask for your permission" I muttered as I hid Dawn and walked past.

On the other side of the gate, the people all dropped what they were doing and looked my way. I said not a word as I walked forward and everyone made a path for me without hesitation. That was exactly what I wanted my aura to signal to them. I walked all the way to the front of the senate building. No one gave me opposition until I came to the Council Chambers.

"Sir, the council is in session!" the guard blocked me.

"So am I", I said as a blast of wind busted down the door, blowing the guard into the middle of the room.

"Altos!" one of the senators stood up, "How dare you interrupt us!"

"Pardon my intrusion, Evans, but I don't have much time", I stood in the middle of the large circular chamber.

"We ought to have you placed under arrest right now!" another growled.

"Hold up. Let's hear the boy out before we jump to a quick decision", another spoke up.

"I speak to you on behalf of many", I said clearing my throat "The kingdoms below have been in a supposed peace ever since the Great War. I'm here to tell you all that this is far from the truth", everyone muttered at this "Humans and Faunus are still at odds and blood is being shed. A group of Faunus known as the White Fang is about to launch an operation that could possibly lead to genocidal results and they are using our name to support their cause! If nothing is done, entire kingdoms will fall! I am here before you today to tell you all that we are needed now more than ever! The Halcyons must return to Remnant!"

"Let them have at it", one senator stood up "We will not interfere. The Human and Faunus Races put themselves in that boat. We cannot help them if they are so willing to fight."

"But there are people out there who want peace!" I motioned to the door behind me, "The kingdoms were in an even worse state before we disappeared, and our sacrifice brought them peace when it was needed most! The humans and Faunus can change, and they will! But I have seen with my own eyes how everyone in Remnant looks up to us as a species. They may think we're dead, but if we merely return and denounce both sides of this conflict, they can change again! We can show them door number three."

"Then prove it to us", another stated "If they can change, this tension will die. I understand that they only changed because we interfered. They cannot change."

"That's why they need us!" I raised my voice, gradually opening up my jacket, "And there's more."

The entire council gasped at the sight of the wounds I sustained.

"But the most important problem of all is the Grimm. I have seen that the Grimm not only are attracted to negative emotions, they _feed _on them! The people have generated so much that now even Insomnia himself has come out of hiding! And my wounds prove that he is stronger than any single foe we've ever faced!"

"Your wounds merely prove your poor strength", another said, "The council's decision remains firm. We will not intervene. Agreed?"

"Agreed" the council stated in unison. Silence filled the air as the tension built up.

"Then the halcyons really are dead", I said quietly, catching them all off guard, "You're not the Halcyons I once believed in. You're not the people who my father fought and died to protect! You're all cowards who sit around on Cloud Nine while the world burns! And do you know what? I'm not going to stop you", I then flourished my wings and reached for Dawn, "However, I won't just sit around in my perch and let my friends and family in Remnant suffer! If you won't respond to Remnant's cry for help, then I sure as Spetz will! This is why I'm the last of the true Halcyons", Dawn extended to its full size, and I brandished the blade for a moment.

"Remnant still has yet to fly. I am its new pair of wings!"

.

(3rd person) (Mountain Glenn tunnels)

"Would somebody kill her?!" Torchwick said firing as Ruby as she ran. He turned to the grunt beside him, "Attach this car and spread the word! We're starting the train!"

"But we're not finished!" he said before Torchwick pinned him against the wall with his cane.

"Do it now or you're finished!" he said letting him go. The Faunus growled to himself as Torchwick got on the train.

"Everyone! Saddle up! We're moving!" he barked as he climbed into a Paladin. He watched as Team RWBY hopped aboard the caboose, only to realize that they'd all detach and explode.

"Alright", another Paladin pilot said to him, "Hold them back until their car detaches! We need a clear shot!"

"Wait! It's too risky! We might hit our own!" the first told him.

"Don't worry! I'll give the signal to clear out!" she said, targeting the team.

_Come on! Hold out for just a few seconds longer!_

Three of the girls dove into the cars below.

"I'll take care of this", the White Fang Lieutenant growled as he entered the car.

"What the blazes?! AAAH!" the pilot in front was taken down by a ball of flame.

"My shot it clear! I'm taking down Red!" the second pilot stated as he fired his cannons just before 970 brought him down too.

The blasts blew up right in front of Ruby and she was sent tumbling back to the last car just as it detached!

"Ruby! No!" Oobleck tried to run back, but was held off by another Paladin.

"NOW SCATTER!" a voice howled as the first Paladin mentioned burst open, releasing a storm of black rose petals. They all quickly blew back to Ruby's car, scooped her up and returned four cars ahead, before the detached one could explode.

Ruby opened her eyes to see that she was in the arms of a White Fang grunt, specifically the one who Torchwick threatened before.

"That was too close", he muttered.

"Why did you save me?" Ruby asked and the man removed his mask to reveal a pair of onyx eyes, and slicked back spikey hair.

"Why wouldn't I?" he smiled.

"S-S-Sly?!" Ruby gasped, "But how?!"

(Flashback, one day ago) (Sly)

I've had it with him! Oliver always gets the girls, and here I am stuck as the third wheel _every single time! _And now he tells me to save it for later when I finally confront Ruby!

We all continued to the auditorium and listened to Ozpin give his speech. But then I looked over to see Ruby's bag. So I dropped out of Oliver's sleeve, made a mad dash for the bag, and hopped in. But I landed right on top of a wet nose. A dog! I jumped out and dove back into one of the smaller pockets. It was cramped, but it was far better than sharing a space with a dog!

As the team rushed to get an assignment, I began to think. I had a human form myself. Couldn't I go on a mission? But I remembered that this was part of why I was hitching a ride. I had to prove that I was something more than just a lab rat sidekick.

(Flashback end) (3rd person)

"But why?" she asked him, "Why do you want to be a huntsman?"

"Because you made me one", he responded, and he carried her up a few more cars to avoid detaching, "I told you all the truth before, I fell for you at first sight. I fell in love with you so much that I practically became human just to reach you in a form that you would at least accept me in."

He held her closer and whispered, "I am a huntsman because, more than anything else, I want to be….. Just. Like. You." Ruby was getting a little teary eyed. And finally, he kissed her for a good long ten seconds.

Another car exploding behind them ended the hug that ensued after.

"What do we do now?" Ruby asked leading Sly to stand her back up.

"I want you to stand back, Ruby", Sly stepped in front. Tiny blood red petals flickered off of his body like flames. He turned around to face her. His eyes turned completely black as black flames of aura streaked from both.

"Ruby, you might not have _consciously_ done anything for me, but I still owe everything I am to you. That's why I am completely cutting loose and putting everything I have into fighting this fight for _you_!" a pulse rippled out from Sly as the air turned cold, as thou Sly had sucked the very energy and life out of the air around him! Everything, even the rumbling of the train was silent.

"Now", Sly said, and the silence let the White Fang grunts hear him, "You all hurt Ruby! You'll pay for this! And Roman Torchwick! I'M COMING FOR YOU!" his voice rattled the air.

Ruby then decided to stand back.

(End of Chapter 18)

.

.

.

HEEEEYO! Beowulf returns with WOR for the first time in months!

Again, I apologize for not posting sooner, but my summer has been very hectic indeed. My writer's block is _still _driving me insane, and now I've been thrown headfirst into college, and today is my first full day. Combine all of that and you have a giant hiatus! I've said it once, and now I'll say it again, I hate having to put a hold on writing!

_**PLEASE READ THIS: **_I have made alterations to the story and I have now made it to where the team doesn't know that Arcee is a synthian. If you started this story prior to August 18, 2015, then you have nothing to worry about. Nothing has changed for you.

Anyway, thank you all for reading! If you like what you see follow and favorite (but I guess if you've stuck with the story up to this point, you've already done so). And don't for get to review and PM me if you want!

This is Beowulf and the OC Crew signing out!


	19. Chapter 19: Not Yet

Chapter 19: Not Yet

(Valentine)(Deep in the Emerald Forrest)

If I hadn't gone into the woods, things would be very different right now.

_SHING! YELP!_

Another beowolf fell.

There were rare instances where I actually had to let my anger out via physical release. I had half a mind to even take it out on Cody himself, but he had already died four times too many. Grimm would provide the perfect punching bags.

The Grimm apparently _were_ attracted to negativity. Apparently mixed emotions especially draw them in.

A flock of juvenile nevermores flew in from the trees and I ducked for cover, turning Merlin into its rifle form.

_BLAM! BLAM!_

The skies were suddenly filled with falling feathers.

A Beowulf attacked me from behind but was stabbed right through the heart.

But I needed to reassure myself. I was stronger than Cody said. He didn't know how much I had trained because of him. I wanted to prove him wrong more than anything else.

I then crossed paths with a deathstalker who didn't even take a moment to analyze me. I used Merlin to make its claw slip past me and then I got beneath it, and used my semblance to send us both into the air.

But before I could land the killing blow, a shockwave hit the field and sent us both to the ground hard.

The deathstalker flipped itself back onto its feet and screeched to its comrades who all turned to that sudden source of power.

Aura. Even to this day I've never felt an aura so overwhelming and powerful. It was absolutely crushing! Even the trees trembled. That spike of aura drew in every Grimm. Eventually, it drew me in too.

Another shockwave blew me backwards. I giant deathstalker flew overhead, sliced clean down the middle.

"_Sore o motarasu, anata wa furīku! Zehi, watashi o shutoku!"_ a voice roared and I peeked out from behind a tree.

Several dozen Grimm were slowly closing in on a single figure. The boy was seventeen, but was taller than me. He wore a long white sleeveless coat with a black and neon green jacket beneath it. His eyes were stormy grey, and his hair was reddish brown, like mine. Over his right eye was something that looked like a Grimm mask monocle.

But his most phenomenal feature of all was his weapon. In his hands was a giant scythe, even bigger than Ruby's Crescent Rose! It was solid black with a silver blade with a glowing green edge. The hinge on which the blade held to was circular, hollowed, and held to a similar glow. Overall, it looked like a mix between Arcee's gauntlets and Ruby's scythe.

"_Kieuseru!" _the warrior swept his blade around as the alpha Grimm backed away. They were smart enough to know that he was powerful, more so than any individual Grimm. But I doubted he could hold off the entire swarm by himself.

"Hey!" I leaped from the bushes and sniped down three beowolves. But all of a sudden they _all _turned towards me!

"_Baka_!" the boy snarled as he saw me attacking the Grimm. He slammed his hand into the ground and every Grimm was blown back another ten feet. In a blur that was almost as fast as Ruby, he was already hacking away at the ursai with beautiful chain attacks, not letting a single movement or moment go to waste.

So I figured I'd try to mimic him. But before I could even select a target, the ground beneath my feet exploded as an odd looking Grimm with only two raptor legs and a tail sprung its trap. I believe these things were called…creeps?

But this one had knocked me backwards and pinned me down under a single foot.

"_Chikushō!" _the boy yelled something else in that weird language as the beast was decapitated. After another unknown sentence, a bright flash of blue filled the air. By the time I could see again, a massive line was scorched into the grass and the smoldering remains of the poor beowolves were evaporating.

"_Tsugi wa daredesu ka?"_ the boy pointed his open blade to the largest Grimm in the area, a massive King Taijitu. The snake hesitated, but then hissed to its comrades who followed its lead in retreat. His weapon folded up and he began to walk away.

But he suddenly stopped as he noticed that I was still watching him. At first he was confused. He stepped aside and looked around to make sure that I was actually looking at him. Once he realized that he was being called out, his eyebrows furrowed and he growled.

"_Anta ittai nani o kangaete imashita no?!" _he scolded me in his native tongue.

"Umm…..sorry. What did you say?" I asked. His eyebrows shot up in surprise.

"Oh, thank the lower world, you speak English!" he sighed with relief.

"Valerian?"

"No, it's…. never mind. Would you mind telling me exactly where I am?" he looked around.

"Emerald Forest in Vale…..on Remnant. Somehow I get the feeling you're not from around here", I guessed, although that might just be sugarcoating it.

"Thanks. Now do us both a solid and beat it. This place is swarming with these things. An amateur like yourself shouldn't be here."

"Why you…." I almost gasped, "I'm not an amateur! I'm from a royal family who gave me access to the best training programs in Remnant!"

"My apologies, Princess", he said with sarcasm, "Then you're even more out of place. The battlefield is no place for your kind."

"I can fight! I've survived far worse than a swarm like that!"

"Then prove it", he said, "Put a scratch on me and I'll change my mind. I won't even use my weapon."

I rushed him and swung Merlin, only for him to easily dodge.

"Hmm…you're fast in your strikes. I'll give you that much", he said while continuously dodging, "But still…" he dove in right behind a strike and caught Merlin at the handle, "Your fighting style is predictable. Even those monsters could see through it."

He flipped over my head while spinning in a one eighty. Now holding Merlin and my arms twisted behind my back. He then wrenched it from my grasp and impaled it in the ground beside us before tripping me up.

"If you can't even beat an unarmed man, you've still got a long way to go."

It was happening again! Yet another person who saw me as unprepared, and this time, he didn't even know me!

"I have to fight!" I struggled to stand back up and pick up Merlin, "My friends….my family…my kingdom are all relying on me! I can't just stand around and let you insult my drive!" I attacked again, only to have my weapon wrenched away by the tip a short sword that he literally pulled out of nowhere.

"I'm not insulting you. I'm merely trying to show you the truth. I can't deny your drive, and it may help you in the long run to reach the strength you want. That doesn't change the fact that you're still a novice now. I've trained to fight monsters like this as a child. You were probably raised in the safety of a luxurious palace for all I know. You haven't had to fight to survive like I have."

I trembled as I just about snapped.

"What would you know?" I growled, picking up my weapon once more, "I have to fight. I can't let my friends down anymore!"

I screamed and charged him one last time. But this time, all he did was flick his hand towards me without a word. My arms were instantly forced behind my back and my legs gave way as I fell to the ground.

"Where I come from, that there is the simplest trick in the book, and you're powerless against even that", he stood over me, "This is hardly what a professional can do. For a novice, you might as well be serving yourself on a silver platter"

A single tear dripped down my cheek as I just laid their incapable of even moving. The boy sighed and waved his hand as my invisible bonds released me.

"So what if you're an expert compared to me. That doesn't change the fact that I can still fight", I sniffed.

"Look, I….." he suddenly went stiff as he sensed something. His eyes suddenly widened as he tackled me to the side, "Get back!"

Where we were once standing a moment ago, an explosion had ripped a hole in the ground to reveal a large tunnel.

"Wait", I traced the line where the tracks were coming from. In the southeast, "Mountain Glenn…that's where Nimbus said the White Fang was!"

On cue, the Grimm suddenly dove for the hole and a chilling revelation entered my mind.

"They're leading Grimm to the city!" I dove back down into the tunnels and used my semblance to rocket down the halls.

"Wait!" the boy yelled as he dashed after me. I then quickly reversed my semblance with the caboose as a target. Once I was in range, gravity flipped and I was now standing on the back of the train car. Further ahead I could see Ruby and Dr. Oobleck standing back as a very familiar black blur stormed the ranks of the White Fang.

"Run! Run!" the White Fang grunts made a mad dash for the cars up front in order to escape that blender back there. Sly was fighting like a cornered animal and everyone who got in his way instantly regretted it.

"What the hell are you thinking?!" the boy said catching up to me. I didn't even see him running, but there he was on the car with me.

"I'm helping my friends!" I rushed forward.

This was my last chance. I had to prove it to myself once and for all.

.

(Oliver)

Inside of that train car, Yang had just been R.K.O'd by Torchwick's sidekick, Neo. I mean, Geez, I knew that Yang could take a beating, but that was straight up intense! But then again, I would later learn that Neo was a very precision based fighter. It's likely that while the ice cream girl was playing around with Yang, she was really finding Yang's strong and weak points. Apparently she put that knowledge to good use, because Yang was down for the count!

Casually, she walked over and pulled a long needle like blade from her parasol. Then…..

"Oh no you don't!" I screamed as Raven and I dropped from that portal and drove her back several feet.

Neo's eyes suddenly turned white as she looked at was obviously scared out of her wits by us. But despite the fact that I was in my full Grimm form, she appeared to be infinitely more scared of _Raven_. But beneath that obvious fear, I sensed nothing. For the first time in my life, I could not detect anything from an aura. I couldn't even sense the fear that she was obviously showing. All I could pick up was…blank space as though she were thinking and feeling on a level too deep to sense. Now she caught my interest.

"You had either leave now," I slowly drew Solace after Raven drew that katana of hers, "or get ready to break your silence.

She looked to me, much less scared as she was with Raven, but she shivered. It became clear to me now that while I couldn't sense anything from her, she could clearly see through me. She could see who I was, what I'd done, what I planned to do. That meant she knew I wasn't giving an idle threat. She quickly snapped open her parasol, leaped backwards and suddenly vanished with a flash of light.

"She's gone", Raven sighed as I sheathed my blade.

"Thanks, Raven" I said thinking of Melody. Before we stopped here, we had both dropped by Marcus Maze and placed her in his bullhead to rest. He would be caring for her from now on. Granted I would love to take care of her myself, but that song of hers combined with my romantic tendencies would not be a good mix. Not yet anyway.

"I won't be needing this anymore." She caught the infinity rift dust that I tossed to her.

"Are you sure?" she looked at me and I nodded. Only now that I looked closely, I could see her red eyes blinking behind that mask. They looked like mine, in fact.

"But how did you know about my friends?" I asked looking to Yang, "How did you know that they'd need help?"

She remained silent for a moment.

"I'd rather not say anything else. It'd be too dangerous."

"Wait, do you mean like time travel dangerous?" I questioned.

"No", she replied, no doubt cracking a weak smile behind her mask, "But there are some things that must not come to pass just yet."

A shockwave made the cars tremble as a new combatant entered the fight. I could sense an overwhelmingly powerful aura slamming down onto the train.

"Great", Raven muttered, "Should have figured he'd make the jump too."

"That power…..is he from that world I saw?"

"Not exactly. I don't know him, but he's not supposed to be here", she drew her blade.

"But I want answers from him. What was that place?" I raised my voice a little.

"Answers will come in time", she opened a portal "I'll go correct this conundrum. You go and help your friends." Yang began to stir a little.

"Fine", I grumbled, "But I'm not giving up on what I saw. I will find that place again!"

"I know you will in time", she began to step through, "And one more thing, if anyone asks, especially _her_, I was never here and you saw nothing." With that she vanished just as Yang regained consciousness. I quickly jumped through the open door at the front of the car and hid. She saw Raven leave. If she knew I was in the same room, she'd drill me into the ground to get answers that I didn't exactly have.

All I knew for certain was that the Grimm were even more numerous than I thought. That entire world was filled with them. Nimbus would have a heart attack.

Then something else gave me a heart attack. Something I didn't quite see coming.

The end of the tracks.

(End of Chapter 19)

.

HEYO! Beowulf here!

You may or may not have recognized the guy with the scythe, but if you did, you may get an idea what Oliver is getting himself into. I've already hinted at this enough as it is. Not really much else to say here.

So, you all know the drill. If you like what you see, BLAST THAT LIKE BUTTON INTO OBLIVION AND BEYOND!

This is Beowulf and the OC Crew signing out!


	20. Chapter 20: Shutdown in Downtown

Chapter 20: Shut Down in Downtown

(Arcee)

"So it's really gotten that bad", Ozpin sighed as I finished telling him the details.

"Yes sir. Nimbus was forced to blow his cover and kill a count of four grunts aboard that bullhead", I nodded, "but I believe that the lieutenant's death may have a lasting impact on him."

"Ozpin!" Ironwood slammed his fist on the table, "This is exactly what I was talking about! You won't take action even though the threat is located and biding time! We need to hit them hard where it counts and we have to hit them now!"

"Hey!" I barked, "You're both right. We can't afford to sit around, but we can't throw all of our efforts into attacking Mountain Glenn. Don't forget that their target is the City of Vale itself! We already have forces attacking the ruined city as we speak, so our remaining forces need to be at the ready within the Kingdom."

"Miss Strauss, it isn't your position to give me orders!" Ironwood glared at me.

"Need I remind you that you're not the only strategic mastermind in the room?" I told him, turning around to look at the window.

"Gismo", Ironwood muttered, tightening his fists to the point where his knuckles popped.

"Well, you can't blame him", Ozpin stepped in for me, "It is what he designed her for."

"Thank you, Professor", I nodded to him before walking up to the large clock window overlooking the entire school, "Ironwood, before you make any sudden decisions, try and think from the enemy perspective. For something this big, they need a backup plan. Suppose they knew that we knew where they were, which they do. How would they pull something like this off?"

Ironwood looked to Ozpin who motioned back to me in a "Let's hear her out" manner.

"What are you suggesting?" the general asked with knit eyebrows.

"What I'm saying is that we need to assume that they know how to accommodate their plans to fit the sudden Atlesian Military presence. From there we need to find out how they could pull it off without confrontation at the gate."

"You said that they had immense air support right?" Ironwood put his hand to his chin, "Could they be planning to bomb the city from beyond the reach of our command ships?"

"No. The White Fang is rather…inventive, to say the least", I thought, "They would take a new spin on the ball game. That begs the question, how would they slip beneath the radar from Mountain….." I trailed off as it hit me.

"Son of a Grimm. The transit system!" I gasped, "Ozpin, I need a map of the city and the Mountain Glenn Transit, now!"

Ozpin raised an eyebrow at Ironwood as he pulled up a holographic map of the City and Mountain Glenn. The Transit Line lit up in orange.

"So going along that line", I zoomed in on Vale to a large open space in the middle of the city, "That right there is their target."

"City Park?" Ironwood's eyes dilated in surprise.

"It makes sense now!" I said pointing at it on the map, "It's wide open space with no buildings and it's sitting right above the sealed tunnel gate! With weaker structural supports, an explosion right here could safely open up a hole to the surface so a squadron of fully armed soldiers can storm the city from the very center, where we least suspected them! From there they have safe and easy access to the rest of the city!"

"See, James?" Ozpin sipped his coffee, "If we just let you act on such rash assumptions we would have missed some greater details."

"You forgot one more thing", Ironwood squinted, "If they know that we know, wouldn't that give them reason to-"

_BOOM!_

In the far distance an explosion sounded with a cloud of smoke rising from the city.

"Now do we have a reason to act?" Ironwood glared at Ozpin and me.

.

(3rd person)

Sirens. That was the first thing Val heard when she came to again.

She felt horrible. Her aura had taken quite a hit, and her head felt like it had just been microwaved. She was fighting someone in the White Fang just a moment ago and then BOOM, the room around her exploded.

"Hang on!" someone yelled. She got back to her feet and ran over to Ruby. She was kneeling on the ground trying to put pressure on a fallen boy's wound.

"Sly", Valentine's voice trembled as I knelt down too, "What happened?!"

"His aura ran dry before the crash and he…took a blade for me."

"Not now Ruby!" Sly's eyes opened and he reached for Ruby's scythe, "I can heal like Oliver can. I've done my part. It's time for you to step up. I'll be by your side the whole time." He took her hand and a couple of black rose petals fell into her palm.

"Are you sure?" Ruby pocketed the petals.

"I've never been surer", he smiled weakly, "Just do me a favor. Tear those bastards up."

Ruby nodded, whipped out Crescent Rose, and stormed the Grimm in absolute fury. As soon as Ruby left our line of sight, Sly coughed up blood, smiled weakly and closed his eyes.

_CRACK!_

A hand burst from the ruble and a dusty but familiar face rose from the wreckage.

"Oliver!"

"What the hell just happened?" he groaned until he looked around at the Grimm in the city.

"No", he muttered before scrambling to his feet and saying it again in terror, "No! No! No! No! This can't be happening! Sly!" He rushed over to his fallen partner checking his vitals before going stiff.

"He saved Ruby. He said he can heal, right?" Valentine asked.

"No", Oliver said as a tear dropped to the ground, "He can't. It's exclusive to my design! He's….he's dead!"

Silence fell, drowning out the chaos around them.

"Not again", Oliver's tears flowed as Weiss walked over, "The White Fang did it again!" It was only then that they saw that his tears were running dark red, "They tricked Melody, tore Granite Bark to the ground, they plan to bring down an entire kingdom, and now this!"

He looked up with a look of desperate hatred. His bright red eyes had darkened to blood red, and I saw that his darkened tears were now blood!

"Val!" Weiss barked, "Get back now!"

"What?!"

"I've seen him do this before! He's calling them all in!"

Val jumped back suddenly realizing that Oliver had snapped.

"This is the last straw! YOU KILLED MY LITTLE BROTHER!" Oliver raised his head to the sky and roared in a way more terrifying than Val had ever heard. Weiss had heard this roar once before, in the old video of the fall of Granite Bark, but it was much worse now.

All of a sudden, the Grimm all around the city skidded to a halt. They stopped destroying buildings and attacking the citizens and they all ran straight back towards Central Park.

Oliver's aura was broadcast to the Grimm carrying a simple message: absolute pain and suffering.

"Everyone, get back to Central Park", Oliver growled over the radio, "All of the Grimm are now avoiding the citizens and coming this way. Take them all down while they're in one place!"

Oliver then unclipped his sword and held it out to Weiss.

"Can you duel wield?"

"Yes, but why?" she took the sword in hand.

"I have something else in mind", he said as his Grimm features burst out in full flare, exactly as Weiss first saw him in Granite Bark, only now his hair was white as snow, "I'm taking every last one of them!"

Weiss nodded and drew the katana, holding it in her right hand.

One by one, Teams RWBY and JNPR arrived.

"This one's for Sly", Oliver muttered as he hacked and slashed in a primal fury. He was cutting loose.

Valentine nodded and prepared to attack an Ursa, but her weapon refused to fire. She growled and went in at close range

"Don't."

That voice sounded like it was right beside her, but no one was close enough. In the far distance, she did see a familiar cloaked figure watching them all from the top of a building. It was the boy with the scythe.

"This is my chance!" Val said as she slashed through the bear Grimm.

"You have no chance", the boy retorted, "The crash took everything out of you. One well-placed hit and you're done."

"I'm finished if I don't fight!" she yelled as she parried the strike of a sickler. She was shoved back. Her aura wasn't giving any stopping power!

The sickler slashed once more, knocking Val's weapon away.

"See what I'm talking about?" the boy said as he pulled out his scythe, "Now it's up to me to-"

_SHING!_

"What the?" the boy muttered stepping back.

The sickler in front of her had been sliced clean down the middle. The man held a giant double edged sword that was almost as tall as he was, a work of art. His long sunset gold hair blew in the wind along with his coat.

Nimbus Altos had arrived.

.

(Nimbus)

"You know, this is the second time today I've had to save you."

Val opened her eyes to see me reaching down to her.

"Thank you", Val said as I pulled her back to her feet and embraced her in a hug. Upon contact, my aura began to recharge Val's until she was at full strength once more.

All the sounds of battle faded around us.

"It's high damn time you showed up!" Oliver's Grimm form skidded in as he ripped open a beowolf's chest with his Deathstalker tails, "You and I have far too much to discuss!"

"Same here", I nodded, releasing Val from my embrace, "I've had to switch up my priorities a little bit."

"You beat me to the punch man!" he got back to back with me for a moment before we both killed two large Grimm that approached us, "While I was gone, I saw something. An entirely different world and it is littered with Grimm! If I'm ever going to accomplish my goals, I need to hunt. The power I've already taken from that place is beyond overwhelming!"

"While I was gone, _I _saw something worse", I looked back to him, "I thought that this whole time, the biggest threat of all was Insomnia himself. Then I saw that the White Fang…..not even its own members are safe from their own goals. Every time they grieve, take a life, and even betray their own kind, the negativity they emit makes that monster exponentially stronger! If Insomnia is ever going to die, the White Fang has to go, even if that means we have to kill them all!" I said this last part stabbing Dawn into the ground. The Shockwave vaporized six Grimm that tried to get too close.

"What I'm trying to tell you," I resumed, "is that you and I need to change our targets for now. You prosper under fighting the Grimm, more so than I would have thought."

Oliver smiled and then spoke into his radio, "All Beacon units here, come back to Central Park. Nimbus needs our power!"

"Huh?! What are you saying?"

"Your stardust arsenal. Do you have any idea how you got it in the first place? It comes from the drained aura of humans and faunus alike!"

My eyes widened in sudden shock.

"As a Grimm, I could smell that your semblance is in fact, Aura Displacement! This means that you gain power from the people that simply stand beside you, be they friend or foe! That's where your flight feathers come from, and that's why there is a living, breathing soul inhabiting your sword!" he pointed at the brightest burning galaxy that shined in Dawn's crystals.

I recognized_ that _one. It formed the very second that Samantha died, and right in the same place where her hand last touched!

"_So this is your friend that you told me about"_ a voice said in my head.

"Oh, Monty in heaven!" I muttered as I stabbed Dawn into the ground and bent down to look at that galaxy.

_Samantha? You're alive?!_

"_More or less, wingnut",_ her voice chuckled, "_I knew what stardust was capable of, and you having so much of it guaranteed that your semblance was Aura Displacement. Thus, I decided to take a chance."_

_Why?_

"_If you're going to be Remnant's big hero, I want to be around to see it. I hope you don't mind having a voice in your head."_

I lowered my head, closed my eyes and smiled.

"I see. So that's how it's going to be", I said out loud, pulling Dawn from the ground, "It's good to have you along for the ride, Samantha."

"_Hey, so long as I'm your sword, you can call me Dawn."_

I faced Oliver again, "Flight feathers, huh? So you knew?"

"White Fang infiltration. Heard every second about how you fended them off."

"So we're both in agreement, we both take care of the demons of the other until we find the head honchos."

"Agreement and synchronization, partner", he smiled an almost evil grin as he brutally tore into a boarbatusk.

As the team gathered, I could feel my own power growing. It was exactly as Oliver said. This was my semblance after all.

All of a sudden a giant nevermore (thankfully not Insomnia) rose from behind a building. I switched Dawn to range mode.

"Wait, Nimbus!" Val tried to stop me from engaging.

"Val", I turned to her, "I'm not going to lose. Not again."

"Not with us around, you won't!" a voice yelled as the Atlesian airships flew overhead. The Knights dropped from their ships and a very familiar face hovered down to meet us.

"Finally, the team's back together", Val muttered with a sigh of relief.

"So, you got a plan, skipper?" Oliver asked me.

"Yeah!" Jaun said as the rest of Teams JNPR and RWBY arrived.

I thought for a moment in silence, but I devised a group team attack system in that moment.

"Alright", I barked, catching everyone's attention, "We divide into four groups. Arcee, Yang, and Nora, you guys are the heavy hitters, especially at long range. Keep trying to tick it off by attacking it from a distance. You're designated as the Bishop group. Ren, Blake, and Oliver, you guys are the most nimble here. Get up close and work in tandem with the Rooks to keep its attention divided between the six of you. You are designated as the Rooks. Weiss, Pyrrha, and Valentine, are designated as the Queens. Your semblances are crucial here. Your job is to get in close while using the diversion set by the Rooks and Bishops. Use your semblances to anchor it down!"

"What about us?" Ruby asked, looking between me, herself, and Jaun.

"You remember Emerald Forest?" I asked, "The Kings will finish the job."

"Heads up!" Weiss split us up just as the nevermore fired a round of feathers. Oliver quickly dove back and absorbed their Grimm matter before we proceeded with the plan.

The Rooks made the first move. They darted in and out and all around the giants range. It screeched in annoyance and nearly bit off one of Oliver's tails.

"Open fire!" Yang barked as she and the rest of the Bishops rained fire on the unsuspecting bird. Its attention fell on them until the Rooks got it back. They traded off, annoying it so much that its next scream shattered the windows of the nearby shops.

After a few minutes of this, the Queens were in place.

"Alright, hold it down!" Pyrrha ordered as the Queens made their move. Weiss pinned down its tail with a thick layer of ice. Valentine Had latched onto its back and turned on her gravity semblance, enough so to make the entire Grimm stagger. Finally, Pyrrha had used her semblance to rip the train tracks from the ruined subway and used them to pin down the giant's wings!

"Light em' up Jaun!" I said as the three of us dashed off at the same time. Jaun formed a golden contrail as his attack boosted all of us forward. We needed a running start to build the momentum we needed.

"Break off now!" Ruby ordered as Jaun boosted us forward before breaking away like parts during a shuttle launch.

At this point, I fired up my flight feathers beneath my coat and reached even higher speeds thanks to Jaun's boost.

"Ruby!" I said over the wind, "This next part is all up to you! Aim for its neck!"

"Got it!" she nodded as we entered the clearing.

"Now, Ruby!" I barked as I broke off and Ruby activated her semblance, now reaching speeds that she never could have normally. A split second later, she jumped straight for the Nevermore.

The bird cawed suddenly and without effort, its beak slapped Ruby straight up into the air!

"Oh no you don't!" I said as I almost snapped out my wings, but I suddenly stopped as I saw a dense gale of black rose petals rocket up to Ruby. In mere moments, Ruby was just floating up there! Ten stories in the air! She looked surprised at first, but she nodded as she looped back around, and then, using her semblance once more, she snuck up on the giant and sliced off its head from behind!

"Way to go, Ruby!" Yang yelled as we all cheered. Gradually, Ruby floated back down and set foot on solid ground.

Suddenly, the black rose petals reformed in front of her until a familiar form stood before her.

"Sly? Sl-!" Ruby almost ran to him but….

"SLY!" Oliver beat her to the punch when he embraced his brother in a hug. I couldn't blame him. I mean, sly almost died a moment ago, right in front of Oliver's own eyes.

"Hey, this weasel isn't going pop just yet", Sly said.

"I watched you die! How in the blazes of hell are you still alive?!" Oliver cried in sheer joy.

"Well, I have him to thank", Sly motioned to our right. Standing there was a boy with a giant scythe with Arcee's color scheme.

"Now you decide to be helpful!" Valentine almost raged at him.

"I'm not supposed to do this, but considering how much you guys appear to value this…..creature, and the way he sacrificed himself, I gave him a second chance. I was surprised to see that these…..Grimm, as you call them lacked souls. So I implanted his aura combined with some of his blood into one, consequentially calling his soul back."

"Of course!" Oliver gasped, "Half breed DNA can tame that of a Grimm! That's how he got his body back!"

"Wait", I said looking at Dawn. Samantha was a half breed, "So you can do this so long as you have the soul?"

"Yes, and you are to tell no one that this trick works", he huffed, "I'll be demoted if they find out. By the way….Sly, you said something about a certain 'Roman Torchwick'? There he goes!"

"What?!" Sly whirled around to see the con just crawling out of the tunnel, "YOU'RE MINE!" he barreled his way in an angry twister.

"Oh, for the love of Monty!" he groaned just before Sly slammed into him, took his cane, and knocked him out cold with a home run swing, "That one's for Ruby, you bastard!"

He suddenly stopped himself as he took a closer look at Roman's weapon, swinging it around for a moment.

"I like this thing, I'm keeping it", he said as he strapped his new weapon to his back and rejoined the group.

"Wait a minute!" Blake realized, "If Torchwick survived that crash….."

"Then maybe the others with him survived!" Nora exclaimed.

No sooner had she said that, a giant hand burst from the rubble as a Paladin emerged. Dozens of grunts followed.

"You had to think that", I muttered.

"There you are!" the pilot stated looking at Valentine. The rest of the Fang began to gather whatever arms they had left and prepared to fight.

"Looks like it's not over yet", Oliver let his Grimm form disperse and he grabbed his katana.

"Hold it!" I barked "Take a closer look at them." On closer inspection, you could see them not only trying to gather their weapons, but also trying to rescue their fellow members.

"They're…..in disarray! It's almost as though they weren't expecting this", Pyrrha noted.

"Exactly", I nodded, "My guess is that they were expecting for that final gate to be opened for them. They were expecting for _someone else_ to do that part of the job for them. Does it seem like this could be an accident? They were taking orders from someone, but that someone wanted to eliminate them so he could hide his tracks! Considering that Torchwick himself was on that same train, it was likely someone else."

"He's right!" Oliver said with a look that almost spelled horror, "Their emotions are erratic! Someone tricked them all!"

"Come on guys!" the pilot said, "If we can get anything from this, than we can at least get her!"

"If they're in disarray," I began to unbutton my coat, "Then they need some convincing. Valentine, get behind me!"

I stabbed Dawn into the ground and flipped out my wings to their full length.

"STAND DOWN!" I roared at the White Fang. All went absolutely silent. Until…

"No way!" Yang squealed, "_You _were Blake's angel!"

"Yang!" I hissed at her, "I was trying to make this dramatic!"

"N-N-N-Nimbus?" Valentine stuttered.

"I'm sorry I couldn't tell you", I smiled at her, "Just stay by my side and they won't dare touch you."

"Are you sure?" she asked.

"Members of the White Fang! Step forward!" I said to the members in front.

Gradually, they all dropped their weapons and stepped forward until they were ten feet from me. By now, airships were filling the skies as news of this was broadcast live.

"Sir," one said, "Please hear us out. We were-"

"You were tricked into this, weren't you?" I raised an eyebrow and the man up front went silent, "I understand your predicament and I understand that all of this", I motioned to the destruction around us, "was not your complete intention. However, despite your intentions, I cannot condone your actions while you claim to be the 'voice of the faunus'. You may have done your part in your earlier years as a group, but so long as you wear those masks, you will be treated like the monsters that you're masquerading as!" I gripped my sword. This made several members back up in shock.

"However," I continued, "Today and today only I will see to it that your members heal fully. Once that is said and done, you are to do one thing for me."

"What is it?" the apparent leader asked.

"Once this is over, walk away. Get rid of your uniforms and masks and stand back. Your time as the voice of the faunus is over. It's my turn now. So long as you end your ways and leave the rest to me, I can promise you the equality that you deserve."

A long silence followed until the leader removed his mask and crushed it in his hand. Gradually, his followers removed theirs.

"You have our word", another said, "Just…there are others who are willing to go to greater extents. They will kill you the first chance they get."

"That's why I'm packing heat", I heaved Dawn's railgun form onto my right shoulder, "Arcee, tell all of the Knights to run search and rescue down in the transit system and look for survivors."

(End of Chapter 20)

.

.

HEEYYOO! Beowulf returns!

Anyways, it has been almost a year since Wings of Remnant was published and I'm glad I could get this published.

Anyways, for a very special occasion, I am now on YouTube! I'll be giving a live commentary of RWBY's Volume 3! Speaking of which, FINALLY! The wait has been torturing me!

Anyways, if you want to find me on YouTube, search for Obsidian Proxy!

You all know the drill. If you like what you see, BLAST THAT LIKE BUTTON INTO OBLIVION AND BEYOND!

Until next time, this is Beowulf and the entire OC Crew signing out.


	21. Chapter 21: Proposals

Chapter 21: Proposals

(Oliver) (Vale, mere minutes after the breach had ended)

I was officially done for one day. That roller coaster of emotions had left me with a skull-splitting headache.

I found a hypnotic girl, lost her to the White Fang, and got her back. I had been harpooned, shot, and stabbed countless times, I discovered that other world full of cannibal Grimm. My little brother (from a genetic engineering standpoint) had died and come back to life right in front of my own eyes. Then, to top it all off, that guy with the scythe got away. I wanted to ask him some questions, several in fact.

On the bright side, Nimbus decided to spread his wings. With a Halcyon backing us up, the White Fang may think twice before trying anything. I felt a sense of relief, one that I hadn't felt in a long time. For once, I could actually rest easy.

Still the idea of just….letting them go? I mean, Nimbus won over that White Fang faction like he was royalty. It was something that I never could do. People look up to Nimbus like he was some sort of prophesied savior or something. Then people look at my true form only to cower in fear.

That's what I had in mind when I spoke to Nimbus earlier. I wanted to bring peace to the people, but my form, powers, and downright primal fighting style only made them change out of fear. I was no better than the White Fang, in that sense.

That is where our priority change came into play. Nimbus not only has the honor of the people, but the ability to draw power from a crowd, meaning that he gets stronger by fighting anyone. Then, suppose that what he fights lacks a soul. That was why he lost to Insomnia in the first place. He had no power to draw from.

Simply put, we both thrive where the other doesn't.

I walked out of the clearing as I leaned up against a building, gradually sliding back into a sitting position.

Now that I thought about it, considering the way that the White Fang just…..gave up, maybe they were being manipulated. Perhaps by someone much stronger than anyone that I've ever faced.

If that was the case…..

I removed the glove from my right hand and held it up. That crystal was still there, and by that point it felt natural, like it was a part of me. I still had no idea as to what it did.

_I really need to figure out what I'm capable of. If I'm stuck with this thing, then the least I can do is find out how to use it. What is this thing anyway?_

"A corrupite stone", a voice said off to my right. There stood a boy about sixteen, who stood five foot seven. He wore an unbuttoned grey flannel jacket with a yellow shirt, blue jeans, and a pair of sneakers with some sort of swish mark logo. His hair was thick, messy and black. His eyes were two different colors. His left eye was green while his right iris, and even his pupil, was gold, and it even gleamed like the metal beneath his glasses. He looked just…..out of place. He was looking into a store that had remained untouched.

"E-Excuse me?" I asked, just to make sure he was talking to me.

"You heard me, a corrupite stone. In the right hands it can absorb and utilize corrupted elements of any world, IE, the Grimm. When using it, your Grimm matter supplies can be increased a six-fold at the very least", he clarified.

"Who the hell is this guy?" I muttered.

"Rather rude of you. Well, then again it is _you, _so I shouldn't have expected a different greeting, Oliver Eastman, AKA, Oblivion", he said. He was in my head, "As if the first Oblivion wasn't bad enough."

"You're raising flags, punk!" I growled as my thumb opened Solace a bit, "You know a tad bit too much."

"If you're going to fight me, then save your breath", he said, "You're not ready for that sort of challenge."

"That's it!" I snarled as I whipped out Solace…..or rather tried to. The blade was missing from the sheath!

"What the?!"

"What? Looking for this?" he said as he pulled the katana out from behind his back!

"I…what?" I was at a loss for words.

"Oliver, I know how much this sword means to your family and to the history of Granite Bark. I wasn't really going to let something happen to it", he tossed me the weapon which I instantly sheathed.

"Alright, you have my attention now. What is it you want?" I asked.

"No, no, no. It's not exactly a matter of what _I_ want. It's a matter of what exactly _you_ want", he said raising an eyebrow, "You were just thinking about it a moment ago."

"Um, I want to get…..stronger", I said in an uneasy tone.

"Not just that. You're looking for answers, information about that world you saw, the one with the 'cannibal Grimm'."

"I'm just going to assume that you know everything about my personal life", I raised my eyebrow.

"Well, for starters, those things were not Grimm, but they're one of the closest possible things to it. Considering that your powers absorbed their corruption and freed them, it has come to my attention that your powers as a velocion tri-breed are becoming indiscriminant over what sort of darkness it consumes for you. That's part of why you were able to survive in that world where Melody would have died."

"Even Melody, huh?" I sighed, "You really do know everything."

"Well, to be fair, _I _don't. I'm just here on the behalf of someone else. The same guy who made the plans to get your techno scythe friend into this world. He got some help from some guy with a massive connection to this planet."

"Okay! You caught me at the scythe guy! Who was he?" I turned back towards him suddenly.

"Not my place to say. I've only been given a description as to where he comes from and that he would be jumping from his dimension to here. I have been told everything i need to know about you. I don't know why, but the boss really wants to see you succeed."

"Um….the boss of….."

"We call ourselves Barrier 4, and the boss is sending me here with a proposition for you. The enemy you plan to face is much stronger than you're letting on. You're going to need strength from more than just Grimm if you're even going to survive. You're not just a hunter anymore, Eastman. You're a predator, and while it's true that instinct has brought you far, you still lack the proper experience. We have access to the proper…. 'Hunting grounds' necessary to satisfy your hunger and need. There are worlds infested by darkness and unrestrained evil that make the creatures of Grimm look like plush toys. Well, maybe with the exceptions of Nautilus and Insomnia. Those two, maybe a few more as well, were the odd ones out."

He cleared his throat before he spoke again, holding his hand out.

"What I'm saying is that we want you to join us for a little while. In your spare time, my colleagues and I will help to train you for what lies ahead. The strength you'll gain may secure the future of Granite Bark and hopefully all of Remnant. Are you in?" he kept his hand out to me, as though he was expecting a shake.

I stood silently as I considered.

"That's not exactly what I want", I said quietly, catching him off guard, "It's not strength that I'm after in the end. It's weakness that I want."

"Care to explain?" the boy raised his eyebrows.

"If you know me as you say you do, you should know that it's not just Grimm matter that makes me strong. Any negative emotions boost the strength of my Grimm side. So long as negativity exists, I'll always grow stronger. All I want is for it all to stop. I want to live a life where my powers grow weak. I know that if my powers go weak in the end, I know that there's peace for once. I know it's a paradox, wanting to grow strong for the chance to become weak, but—."

With a smile, he waved his hand for me to stop.

"You know, I was told that you were a man of actions, not words, so I wasn't expecting a monologue. Still, that was more or less what the big guy expected to hear."

"Just tell me, what's the catch? I mean, you're just going to give me power and skill from other worlds. There has to be some cost to all this. How does the 'big guy' benefit from all this? If he sees trouble in Remnant, why doesn't he help?"

"I do recall telling you how we were sending you to worlds of war and darkness", he reminded me "Barrier 4 is a multidimensional task force dedicated to solving conflicts in our own way. If anything, you growing stronger out there will equally benefit both of us, as well as the worlds you visit. Even your teammates can benefit from what you learn. To answer your last question, our forces are limited and spread across several universe and even across to a second multiverse! However, since you've already learned too much, we know that you're going to try and make the jump again on your own. I guarantee that if you do so without the proper requirements, you will be stranded permanently, which means no Granite Bark. With us, you can move freely."

"Alright then", I stepped forward and shook his hand, "If that's what it all boils down to, I'm your guy."

"Great", he nodded before turning towards the clearing and tapping something on his scroll…..no that was definitely not a scroll, "If you're not busy right now, I need to get you to base and get you ready. We'll be able to work around your schedule here, so you won't miss anything. You'll begin training with Nile once you gain clearance."

"Yeah, so when do I meet the 'Big Guy'? Also, do you guys have a woman named Raven in your organization?"

"You'll meet him at some point, but not anytime soon. As for Raven, no, she is not with us. She is from Remnant, but she just knows a tad bit too much about interdimensional travel. That's what I hear at least. Now, we've already wasted enough time as it is. If we wait any longer, Nile is going to nail me to the wall." As he said this, he waved his hand as a swirling galaxy portal formed in front of him.

"Wait, before I just dive into this, I still have one more question. Who are you?"

He stopped and turned around to face me while pushing up his glasses with a smile.

"My name is Simon Watson. I am one of the four Alpha level commanders, and as such I co-own the position of second in command at Barrier 4."

.

(3rd person) (On a nearby rooftop)

"All in all, I call today a success", Cinder said calmly.

"I would hardly say that", Emerald said as he watched Oliver disappear into that portal, "You saw what happened! I mean, how the hell does Oliver hold that….._thing _inside of himself like this?! Not to mention that he is the only one of the entire group who can even catch a slight hint of what's really going on! We need to get rid of him before he learns too much!"

"Settle down, Emerald", Cinder cooed, "He is far from an issue for now. That means you are to keep your hands clean, unlike the Tucson case. Besides," she licked her lips in anticipation, "now that boy has gone and caught my interest. I'd like to see what he's fully capable of, and I certainly want to see it up close in combat. If anything is even remotely a threat to us at the moment, it's Nimbus Altos. I must say that he was a wild card."

"Exactly", Mercury nodded, "We've still hardly seen his combat style, and let's not forget that he's already rallied our own White Fang forces to abandon the cause. Do you honestly think that they'll listen to us over him?"

"No", a gruff voice stated as a tall man with red hair and black clothes stepped in, "They will listen to me. As for Oliver, I know exactly who and what he is."

"Oh, do tell", Cinder cooed.

At this, Adam Taurus drew his sword a little and chuckled.

"I'm just surprised that he's still alive."

.

(Ozpin's office)

"Ozpin. Ozpin!" the councilman yelled over the video feed, "You've left us with no choice! The Vytal Festival tournament cannot be broadcast, let alone held, if we are unable to ensure the safety of the citizens!"

Ozpin took a sip of his coffee.

_Why can't they see that it is still too early to act?_ He thought to himself

"Therefore, we have reached out to the Atlas council, and together have decided that the best option is to appoint General Ironwood as head of security for the event."

"Thank you councilmen", Ironwood stated, "Our kingdom is happy to lend as many troops as it takes to ensure that this event runs as smoothly and safely as possible."

"And we thank you, General", the councilman replied.

"I would hardly consider it", a voice said as Ozpin turned around.

.

(Nimbus) (Same place)

"Mr. Altos, now is not the time to intrude", Ozpin warned.

"It is most certainly the time to intrude", I objected, "I have to speak to them."

"Oh no you don't!" Ironwood growled, "Ozpin, I will not tolerate another one of your students questioning—!"

He was cut short when my coat fell and my wings spread. There was chatter on the other end of the com.

"Ozpin," Ironwood continued, "I was aware of the presence of a Halcyon this morning, but to have him in your numbers without even so much as telling us?!"

"Professor, this is game changing information and you didn't even inform-."

"The professor was simply respecting the orders that I was sent under", I interrupted.

"Orders from who?" a councilman questioned.

"I was under orders to remain in secrecy", I lied perfectly, interrupting him, "My home, Stratos is almost the equivalent of a kingdom. I was ordered to come down here in secret to monitor the safety of the people, and only to show myself should dire situations arise. Our numbers are still dwindling, so we could only afford to send a single huntsman, their strongest. As of now I am the voice of the Halcyon people. Please hear me out."

"Very well, why do you come before us today?" another councilman asked.

"I request that I be placed as head of security."

Ozpin's eyebrows shot up in surprise.

"You are still a student", Ironwood stated.

"And even so I sent the White Fang packing with nothing but a pep talk. Had anyone else been in my position, they would have been gunned down. I may be a student, but today's events prove without a doubt that the people of Remnant still hold my kind in the highest respect. This is why Team NOVA will not be participating in the tournament. Rather, Arcee Strauss, Oliver Eastman, Princess Valentine Vance, and I will be placed on guard during the tournament, each of us is a representative of one of the four kingdoms of Remnant. In combination with Ironwood's forces, any action taken against us will be seen as an act of aggression towards Vale, Atlas, Mistral, Vacuo, _and _Stratos. In addition, any action taken against a Halcyon in broad daylight would be political suicide. If I am on guard with the cameras rolling and someone tries to make a move, _everyone _in all of Remnant will know. The aggressor will have picked a fight not just with the military, but the people themselves. They will instantly lose any and all possible support from the public. That is why NOVA's presence, specifically mine, will dissuade any and all aggressive action during this tournament. We need to use a method of defense that does _not _involve excessive military power."

The councilmen looked amongst themselves.

"The word 'halcyon'", I continued, "means 'peace' and 'tranquility'. If this festival is truly about peace, let the real peacekeepers hold watch over the people."

I looked back to Ozpin who nodded with a smile, mouthing "Good work".

A long silence fell.

"Very well", the councilman nodded, "We have come to agreement that Nimbus Altos is to be co-head of security beside General Ironwood."

"Thank you", I nodded to them, "I promise you that the people will enjoy this gathering in peace. Should any situation arise, I myself will be at the front line. You have my word."

"That will conclude our meeting for today", the councilmen said as the screens disappeared and I let out a depressed sigh.

"Well, you seemed rather anxious to get that position", Ozpin poured me a cup of coffee.

I took a sip and sighed.

"It was a lie."

"Hmm?" the headmaster questioned.

"The Halcyons were all a lie", I muttered.

"How so?"

"Earlier this morning I went back to Stratos. I saw what the White Fang was really doing, and that's what convinced me to spread my wings. I realized that Remnant needed something more. They needed the Halcyons to return now more than ever. However when I went to the council and told them everything, do you know what they said? 'They put themselves in that boat.' 'If they want to fight, so be it!' 'We will not interfere!' They all abandoned Remnant and its people!" I slammed my hand down on the table.

It took a minute for me to calm down.

"My father taught me about what we should be, what we once were. He held fast to the idea of the Halcyons being the guardians of all of Remnant. That must be why he and the council never got along, I see it now. I may be just grasping at straws now, but I still believe in our role. If the council wouldn't do it, I had to do it myself."

"And I thoroughly support you on this. Just remember that you are not grasping at straws. You are what a halcyon should be. If the halcyons really are going to stay out of this like you said, then you really are the last of the Halcyons in the eyes of Remnant. Just remember that what is important now is not what the Halcyons are like. The thing that matters now, most of all, is what the people see."

"But there's no guarantee that—."

"All you asked the Stratos council to do was make an appearance, which they all declined. They won't come down here to stop you."

"It's not the council I'm worried about. They can all crash into polished a window for all I care. What's got me concerned is that at least one of our own huntsman trainees will show up out of the blue, like I did."

"If such a situation does arise, we will handle it quietly. We'll monitor the skies for any newcomers, and I will immediately alert you to their whereabouts. This way we can either enlist or turn back any potential threat before Ironwood or the council can learn the truth."

I slumped back in my chair and took a deep refreshing breath.

"Thank you, Oz", I smiled.

He nodded in a silent "you're welcome".

"Right now I would advise that you get some rest. You've had a rough day, and the days to come may prove to be even more stressful. The entire student body will hear of your big reveal within a few hours. Chances are that the reaction will even bigger than when Val first arrived."

"Ah, so much to consider, so little time", I muttered as I stood up and said bye to Ozpin.

It was a long ride on the elevator afterwards.

Right now, the only thing that scared me was the thought of someone deciding to "drop in" for an unexpected visit. I could just imagine it. Zepher, the Hartman twins, or Monty forbid, my friendly nemesis, Jay Rider! I was screwed if the latter showed up. He would stick around no matter what we did, in spite of me!

Then the very moment that the elevator doors opened, I was confronted by a six and a half foot tall mass of muscle.

"Cody?"

"You and I need to talk, halcyon."

(End of Chapter 21)

.

Beowulf here!

Aw come on, Nimbus! I had plans for you guys in the tournament! Well that's just great! Back to the drawing board for me.

As for Oliver, this is the start of his new adventures.

Yep, that's right. Oliver officially became a multiverser! I plan on starting a separate story to document his travels with Barrier 4. As the emissary, Simon stated, they will be working around Oliver's schedule, so I can guarantee you that he will continue in Wings of Remnant. You may catch him popping in out of nowhere.

If you want to see Oliver whisked off to a specific world, let me know and I'll be sure to credit you in the PS.

**PLEASE NOTE:** I finally got around to fixing that chronological error in my story. The events of Granite Bark happened 5 years ago, not 8

Anyways, back to RWBY, Rooster Teeth pulled the biggest freaking troll earlier by pushing back Volume 3 Chapter 3 back another week! I was so pumped to check it out, dang it! And do you know what happened, THEY DID IT AGAIN THIS WEEK! But at least they had the decency to release a World of Remnant. I know that they have the uncanny ability to keep us wanting more, but I can't take much more of that!

Speaking of the World of Remnant Videos, I hope that there's at least something in the upcoming ones that explains what happened to Remnant's moon, unless of course its a crucial part of RWBY's storyline.

Anyone think that the moon might be named "Autumn", by chance?

To make matters worse, the number of RWBY FanFics has skyrocketed! I wouldn't mind this normally, but that means that my last chapter was shoved two pages back on the list within the course of a day! T.T That's what kills me. I've only gotten positive feedback here, so you guys must like this (You do right?). The problem is that if I get shoved to the back of the pack so quickly, fewer people will even have the chance to even look over the story in the list, let alone read the story itself!

I also wanted to get this out because yesterday was my birthday! I'm 19 now!

Anyways, you all know the drill! If you like what you see, BLAST THAT LIKE BUTTON INTO OBLIVION AND BEYOND! And please leave me with some feedback!

This is Beowulf and the OC Crew signing out!


	22. Chapter 22: Loyalty

Chapter 22: Loyalty

**PLEASE READ THE POST SCRIPT FOR A SPECIAL MESSAGE!**

(Valentine)

That's it! I'm done!

I'd seen plenty enough messed up crap for one day, so as soon as everything was cleared up, I went straight back to our empty dorm room, flopped back on my bed, and closed my eyes.

As if the events at the lab and the forest weren't bad enough, life decided it would be fun to slap me in the face with not just a Grimm invasion, but yet _another_ secret from my already mysterious team leader!

And that secret was the granddaddy of them all.

A halcyon. A real life halcyon had just stepped back into existence and was hiding right under my nose this whole time (and probably long before my nose was here to begin with)!

So many puzzle pieces fit together in that instant he showed his wings, those beautiful stardust wings! I don't mean to gush over it, but that was one of the most spectacular reveals I've ever seen. It explains how he was able to hold his own against Insomnia himself for so long. Then in the end, it was his own shattered feathers that had skewered him against the mountainside. Then not only he got back up to curse out that fleeing monster, he was back to forging his weapon in the course of two days!

He was strong, resilient, and had a loyalty and willpower that absolutely refused to let him die. He was the ideal team leader.

Then I looked at myself. I didn't want to admit it, but Cody and that boy with the scythe were right. Despite my efforts, I had been forced to play the damsel in distress and had to be saved three times in a single morning! Two of those saves were by Nimbus.

Every time I've had to fight, I've had to rely on my team, and deep down, that's exactly what I wanted to avoid. Ever since the Cody incident several years ago I trained to fight because I didn't want to let anyone else die for my sake. That's why I refused to have another member of the Draco Scales work with me.

I always thought that what I had done would be enough, but looking back, the only reason that we even survived this long is because everyone else on my team was something completely out of the ordinary. Nimbus' aura was by far the strongest I've ever felt, aside from the scythe guy, _and_ he was a halcyon. Oliver could turn the Grimm's power against itself and, as far as I know, is almost impossible to kill. Finally Arcee….well, I got the chance to witness it once, but everyone says that her physical strength is almost beyond compare. Beyond that, I think she's the only one of us who doesn't have a secret or a complicated backstory

I on the other hand was royalty. I mean, that's really out of the ordinary, but it won't matter in the field of battle. I was told back in training that I was an excellent fighter. What happened all of a sudden to change that?

I sighed, "Why couldn't I have power like them? Where did I go wrong?"

"Well, you could have started by actually taking my advice to heart."

I screamed and fell out of my bed as I heard that voice from the bunk above me. There, sitting cross legged on Nimbus' bunk, was the boy with the giant scythe.

"What the hell are you doing here?!" I yelled at him, "How did you get in?!"

"Window. It's odd, though." he raised an eyebrow as his form flickered. His long sleeveless coat and jacket were replaced by blue jeans and a plain green shirt, and his Grimm monocle disappeared, "No one here should have been able to see me in that form, but thus far, everyone I've encountered in this dimension can. Also, you talk to yourself a tad bit too much. I heard basically your entire thought process. Finally I get some backstory on you."

"Alright, that's it! Out of my room!" I yanked him off the bed and shoved him out the door.

"Hey!"

I whirled around and backed up against the door in shock as I looked and saw that he was right back in my room! He was either faster than Ruby, or he could teleport.

"I was trying to start a decent conversation, Princess. Otherwise, I wouldn't have even bothered coming here."

"Fine then", I growled "What do you want? Are you here to gloat about how you were right?"

"No, I'm just here to make sure that you don't wind up quitting on yourself."

"Make up your damn mind", I rubbed my temples for a moment, "You said it yourself that I'm not a fighter. Nimbus is the real hero."

"Well, you gotta give that guy credit. If his power is what I think it is, then he would put up a good fight with the toughest people back where I come from, and that's saying something big. Heck, he'd even win against most of them. Besides, I don't know if you've noticed, but the guy isn't fighting alone."

"How so?" I asked.

"That sword of his literally has a soul inhabiting it, just like mine", he pulled out his scythe in its folded form, and the neon highlights began to pulse with light like a heartbeat, "I don't know how someone like Nimbus can exist outside of my world, but as long as he's a good guy, then he's fine by me. Then there's this….Oliver and Sly. Now those two are absolute paradoxes. Their very existence is something that shouldn't be physically possible."

"At least Arcee is normal", I rested my chin on my hand.

"If you're talking about the girl with the giant gauntlets and my color scheme, you're wrong again."

"What?!" I whirled around to face him.

"She is definitely not a normal girl. Her appearance was very convincing and almost fooled me. My partner, on the other hand, saw that she was something much, much more. I won't say specifics, but that girl is nothing short of a living breathing miracle. Considering all this, you're probably the most normal out of the entire group."

"Perhaps a bit too normal", I flopped back on my bed, "even for a princess."

"Not necessarily", he sat down beside me "With the crazy life you guys lead, I think some normality would be something of a blessing. It kind of keeps you down to earth, and that can be refreshing from time to time."

"Look, I appreciate it, but look what I'm dealing with. None of that changes the fact that I'm still weak in comparison to them."

"When I said you weren't a fighter, I just meant that you hold a different position on the team, a different role. From what I can deduce, you are something more of the supportive type. You're not naturally designed to be an upfront fighter, and neither is your weapon. Sticking to that sort of lightweight weaponry and skillset, your place on the battlefield is…..everywhere! You're definitely the most nimble of the group, and you'd be best using a speedy defense while using rapid attacks to whittle down your target so the others can finish the fight. Not to mention that your Gravity semblance isn't just for your use. You can seriously alter the battle for both sides of the fight. How you do so is entirely up to you."

"So all you're saying is that I've been going about all of this the wrong way?" I said smiling just a bit.

"Yeah, but you're also the key to the team's chemistry. If everyone is as I suspect they are, then they all have complicated family issues."

"You have no idea", I replied, thinking about how far Nimbus and Oliver's family issues drove them. If Arcee had family issues, and really was as different as my guest here said, then she did an impeccable job of hiding it. She must have a _very_ long fuse. However, I knew what else that meant. A shorter fuse means that outbursts are common but small in nature. Then came the long fuse of someone who's suppressing it all. A long fuse gives you time to run because the explosion to come will be much bigger.

I still had yet to see Arcee lose her temper, and all of a sudden, watching that was the last thing I wanted to do.

"You on the other hand, still have a family, a complete family with both parents and maybe siblings. That's something that the other three might not have, but severely want. It's your job to support them when they have trouble in their personal lives. You're the team mom, the glue that holds those three superpowers together. That's what you'll be on a larger scale, right? You're supposed to be a queen in time, the motherly figure to an entire kingdom! You have to be the voice of reason, and right now, those titans need that voice, especially your team leader. He seemed pretty beat up by something."

"Really?" I asked, suddenly, "Do you know where he went?"

"I overheard him saying that he had to meet someone within an hour, outside the school. The guy he was going to meet is really tall, all muscle, and has a robotic right arm", he confirmed.

"Cody?" I questioned. The boy then turned to the door suddenly.

"It's Nimbus!" he said peeking out of the room, "He's going to someone else's room, three down from us on the other side of the hall."

"That's team RWBY's dorm room", I said as I took a peek. Nimbus knocked on their door and Weiss answered. He said something to her that I couldn't hear.

"Alright, I can help. I have some free time. Come in", she told him and let him into the room with the door open just a crack.

"You better get going before someone sees you", I told the scythe kid. He nodded.

"Try to figure out what he's up to. Only jump in to help him when the time is right", and with that, he left.

I turned my attention back to RWBY's dorm and listened in.

"So….you really are a halcyon", Weiss said nervously.

"Weiss, I'm still the same guy you knew before. Don't act so nervous around me. Kay?"

"So what is it you need?" Weiss pulled out a metal briefcase.

"You know the ups and downs of Dust, right? I'm sure you've come across biological Dust fusions at some point."

"Well, not very often. It's an old, archaic method, but I know how it works", she replied, "Are you saying you want to try it? It's a bit dangerous."

"No. All my life I've been unable to use any kind but stardust. I need a dust removal."

"Wait, why would you have a fusion in the first place if you can't use Dust?" Weiss questioned, but went back and grabbed a different briefcase, "Alright, never mind. Just take a seat and I'll get started. Where is it?"

"It's right here", he turned his head to the left to point at that violet swish shaped coloration in his hair, just above his right ear.

"A Dust hair infusion?" she inspected it.

"Had it since I was a little kid. No matter how many times you cut it, the Dust always goes straight back from the old hairs to the new ones. I can't get rid of it on my own."

"I know you can't use it, but if you were given it at a young age, it must have been of some sort of importance."

"I want it gone", Nimbus said with a voice that said "don't even think about barking up that tree".

"I at least want an explanation as to where this came from", Weiss said with her hands on her hips, "That's not just a streak, it's a symbol. Tell me or I can't help."

"That's the Jetstream Crest", he said with a growl, "It brands us as warriors for Stratos. All halcyon children who enter to train as huntsmen are marked with this. From there, we are allowed no further Dust fusions. It's our sign of loyalty. Now get this over with."

"I can't just do that! It's halcyon tradition! Having it removed would be a slap in the face to your people!" Weiss began to pick up her supplies, "You're breaking away from your own kind!"

"That's exactly what I want!" he barked, "I want nothing to do with them anymore!"

I fell backwards and put my hands to my mouth in a silent and almost horrified gasp. Why would he want this so badly?! Nimbus was shaking and his wings drooped in a way that you would never imagine possible. His hands were on his knees and his head was pointed down at his feet. Even Weiss was a little shaken.

"Why?" Weiss asked with deep concern in her voice, "What could drive you to want that?"

"Please", he whispered as a tear dropped, "Just do it."

Weiss could now see that something horrible and painful was behind that mark. She hesitated as tension built in the silence.

"Alright", she nodded quietly as she pulled out a bottle of a foggy white liquid.

Nimbus sat up straight as Weiss used a hairbrush to get his hair neat again.

"This is going to take a few minutes for the cleaner to dissolve the Dust, so could you at least explain why you want this done?" she began to spray the liquid onto the mark before brushing it again, "I haven't seen you like this since Insomnia."

"No, no. This is something much worse than Insomnia", Nimbus sighed.

"Well, are you going to tell me or is it really that painful?" she asked.

"That mark was meant to be a sign of the halcyon unspoken law: watch from a distance until we are truly needed. If we just stayed in Remnant, people would take our work for granted. If we only arrived in times of crisis, people would see the halcyons as a sign that the world needed to change. That mark is a silent vow to protect the people while maintaining loyalty to our own kind. You and I both know that the halcyons are needed now more than ever. This morning, I confronted the Stratos council and told them about our situation. I told them how we needed to come back, but they refused. They didn't care about the people of Remnant. They didn't leave the Great War because we were wounded. They abandoned Remnant and the code that we were all bound to!"

All was silent for a few moments.

"Weiss, the Jetstream Crest isn't a symbol of guardianship anymore. It's slowly become a sign of abandonment. If I'm going to embrace what a halcyon should be, what my father fought and died for, I need all traces of Stratos to disappear. They've lost my loyalty.

Weiss smiled at this as she picked up the brush again.

"Now that is a good reason. So, where do your loyalties lie now?"

"For now, it lies with Beacon and my friends here. How much longer?"

"One last thing to do", Weiss placed the comb just above the mark, "You're sure about this? There's no turning back."

"I'm sure." Nimbus said with a calm nod.

With a slow brushing motion, the dissolved Dust was swept from Nimbus' hair in a fine powder, and the mark disappeared.

"Thank you", Nimbus sighed with relief.

I stepped away from the door, back into my room, and flopped back in my bed. MORE backstory! This meant that Nimbus had placed himself in quite a tough situation, much tougher than I could have originally thought. If the people found out that the halcyons had actually _abandoned _them….I refused to even think about what would happen.

There was the White Fang. There was his trying to save the public image of the halcyon heroes. There was the threat of Stratos coming down to stop him. There was the potential threat of Insomnia's return. Finally, there was the fact that he had to run a team of Huntsmen and had to constantly save one of them on a regular basis! Nimbus had more trouble and concern on his plate than the entire team combined!

It was becoming clear now that he was coming close to breaking point.

"Alright", he opened the window in the dorm, "I'll be back in a little while. Apparently Cody wants to talk to me." His wings flashed open and his stardust flight feathers glowed with new light. With a single flap of his wings and a blast of wind, Nimbus shot into the sky at lightning speeds. He was heading deep into the Emerald Forrest. Why would Cody want to talk to Nimbus out there of all places?

Then it hit me.

"The Duel of Dragons!" I muttered in shock, "Cody, no!"

I burst through RWBY's dorm room, ran past Weiss fast enough to send her into a dizzying spin, and leaped out the window after Nimbus.

"Sorry Weiss!" I called as I jumped. I used my semblance to leap ahead across the clearing, but Nimbus was far ahead of me and was growing faster by the second!

I wouldn't make it in time!

(End of Chapter 22)

.

.

.

HEEEEEYOOOO! Beowulf here!

Oh, man I was so excited when I checked my account today!

[Alright, is everyone ready? Let's do this!]

What did the story views say?!

{Entire OC Crew} "IT'S OVER 9000!" {Cheers loudly}

We've been waiting for so long to do that!

Yes, it's finally time. Wings of Remnant has officially reached Nine thousand views! It has now been over a year since Team NOVA has hit the pages of FanFiction and thus far it has proven to be my most popular story by far.

To celebrate this, I did some searching and I finally found four pictures online that looked _exactly_ like the four members of Team NOVA! I combined these pictures and made it into Wings of Remnant's new cover photo! Remember, these photos were **_NOT_** made by me and were not originally designed for this purpose. However they looked exactly like the team!

So if the creator of one of the photos happens to read this story, thank you for giving Team NOVA their new face.

Also, if you haven't already seen, I've officially started Oliver's new adventures in the Multiverse! It's a multi-crossover and is only listed as a RWBY story because he originated from that fandom. If you want to see Oliver sent to a specific world, please let me know by PM. I want to keep the choices a surprise, and suggesting locations in the reviews would kind of spoil it for other readers.

Don't worry, he'll be in WOR as well, and he'll be jumping between stories in a single intertwining story line, in Oliver's perspective anyway. Go check him out in my new story, Barrier 4!

I would like to give out a special thanks to everyone who has shown me and Team NOVA support. It's because of you that we've come this far, and we are forever in your debt!

Anyways, I'm going to take a brief break from FF for a little while. I have college finals coming up soon, and I need to get on top of that before I continue any of my stories, so wish me luck!

Of course, the biggest thanks of all goes out to Monty Oum himself. It's thanks to you that I'm still writing. Thank you for giving my career new meaning, Mr. Oum!

You all know the drill! If you like what you see, BLAST THAT LIKE BUTTON INTO OBLIVION AND BEYOND!

Until next time, this is Beowulf and the OC Crew signing out!

Thank you all so much for your continued support!


	23. Chapter 23: The Duel of Dragons

Chapter 23: Duel of Dragons

(Nimbus)

I felt just a bit lighter now. Maybe it was the physical weight of the Dust I had just had removed. Then again, it was more likely the emotional weight of Jetstream Crest that I had just dropped. Of course that meant that I would never have to show my face in Stratos again. Vale was my home now.

There was that one nagging detail that was biting at the back of my mind, but I shook it off, knowing that the little factor was taken care of.

Now I was soaring high above Emerald Forrest to meet Cody. Apparently he wanted to talk to me far from the rest of Beacon. Something was still bugging me though. Why would Valentine's knight want to talk to me so badly?

As I flew overhead, I began to have something of a flashback. It was in this same airspace where I met Ruby, where I had first made contact with mankind. It's the place where my life in Remnant began. Come to think of it, if Ruby hadn't crashed into me like that, I probably wouldn't have made it to Beacon, Team NOVA wouldn't exist, and Valentine would most likely be dead right now.

"_Yeah, let's not bring that up",_ Samantha/Dawn said as I thought that.

"So what do you make of all this? I mean, we managed to raise Sly from the dead somehow. I think Oliver said something about half breed DNA being capable of taming Grimm DNA, henceforth making a tri-breed like Oliver. Maybe when all of this is over, we can bring you back even stronger!"

"_Not yet",_ Dawn replied, "_I told you before that I want to see it happen personally. You need someone who knows the Fang well. Until that day comes, I'm sticking around."_

"Suit yourself", I told her as I did a barrel roll, "Speaking of which, how's the new rested mode fitting in your perspective?"

"_Well, it might be slowing you down just a little bit. The joints are working just fine, but the added weight is putting extra strain on you."_

"I haven't noticed. That system might still have a few bugs, so let me know if you find anything."

"_What I did find is Cody. He's down by the ruins."_

"Those ruins? Wait, I remember that place, that's where Ruby killed that first giant nevermore!" I said as I flew down.

There, standing on the edge of the ruins was Cody. He was facing the east side and gazing out into the void while I approached from the west. He just stood there with that giant shield of his attached to his right arm and yet still touching the ground.

"So you came", he said almost coldly without even turning around.

"Yeah, but why come out here?" I said as I landed.

"Not important. Valentine. Is she safe?"

"She's resting soundly back at Beacon."

"That isn't what I meant!" he whirled around to face me, allowing his shield to detach from his gauntlet, "Do you genuinely think that she's _safe _after what happened today?"

"If the White Fang tries anything else, I make it public! They want support from the people, and they'll lose it if they take the offensive now", I said, surprised by his tone.

"Again you're wrong!" he stepped forward, cracking the stone beneath him, "That is still not what I meant!"

"Then what are you saying?! And what's with the sudden tone we've got now?!"

"Fine, then I'll simplify it for you. What is your duty right now?"

"Team leader", I responded quietly.

"And what does that entail?"

"Guiding the team."

"_Protecting _the team!" he barked, "Now that we're on the right track, answer my question. Is. Valentine. Safe?"

"She's safe with me, if that's what you're asking, but in the end, you're her knight."

"So your role is protecting her too. It's your first duty above all else, now. Isn't it?" as he said this, he walked back towards his shield.

"What are you insinuating?" I took a step back and got my hand ready to reach for Dawn.

"If you truly see yourself as having an equal role in her wellbeing, then you have two questions to answer", his gauntlet attached to the shield and he hefted it out of the ground with little effort, "One: Why do you fight?"

As he said this, the shield rotated forward ninety degrees on that gauntlet a set of four holes appeared in the top, aiming right at me.

"Two: Just how far are you willing to go to protect her?"

"Hey!" I growled, "There's no point in fighting!"

"A bit too late now! Look at the tower around you, Altos!"

I stepped back a little and now I could see a giant black glyph drawn….no, scorched into the entire top of the tower!

"_Nimbus! Run!"_ Dawn warned me as I tried to take off.

"_Surgite, regnum dracones! Tempore iudicii eius!" _Cody chanted once as he slammed his shield into the ground, and I ran into an invisible wall at the edge of the glyph.

"Cody! Stop this!" I roared at him.

"_Ignire divina animas draco!"_ he chanted as the lines of the glyphs ignited with a ghostly white fire. It was flickering at my feet, and yet, it didn't burn.

"_Florebit vosmet ipsos sanctissimae alas!" _The world around us went absolutely dark, illuminated only by the fires of the glyph.

"He's serious!" I muttered through clenched teeth.

"_In fine autem propositum perpetuo memores draconis pretiosissimum omnium!"_ he roared.

Cracks formed in the darkness around us, and it occurred to me that we were inside of a black dome. Little by little, the dome around us cracked and fractured until with a loud shattering noise, it all fell away.

I shielded myself behind my coat to a void the smaller fragments. Then I looked out at our new surroundings.

The tower now stood alone in a world of sharpened, twisting, grey rocks below. Bright blue stones illuminated the land and black clouds filled the sky.

"Damn you!" I spat, "How and why are you doing this?!"

"This is a challenge, halcyon. And no, this is not my semblance. This is a Draco Scale ritual called the Duel of Dragons. When we believe to have found an opponent of equal standing but opposing ideals, we use this to determine who has the right to continue on. This way, no one can interfere with the combatants."

"Shut it down right now!" I hissed, "This isn't what Valentine would want!"

"It isn't about what she wants anymore!" Cody said, "It's about what she needs! Right now she needs a guardian! Only one of us can play that role for her!"

"Why can't we both do that?!" I growled, "You're not the only one who can!"

"Then prove it to me right here and now!" Cody grabbed his shield and a pair of blades sprang from the outer edge, "Prove me wrong, Nimbus Altos!"

He let his voice echo for a little bit before my face turned dark.

"I see. So that's how it is then", I reached for my coat and let it fall to the floor, "Do you know what I hate more than anything else? The doubting types." As I said this, I flourished my wings, only this time there was a peculiar metal armor that covered the boned structures of both.

"You see, I just can't stand those people who say that something is impossible, that you can't accomplish something, especially when that supposedly impossible thing is what you've been chasing the entire time, what you've dedicated your life to!" I growled as a handle flipped up behind my head, and the armor detached from my wings as I lifted the handle. The pieces pulled back together to form Celestial Dawn in her purest form.

"If this is the way that you're going to look at my duty and at protecting my team, then you're not at all who you said! Valentine deserves better than this!"

"Then show me how far you would go!" he readied his blades and with a blast from his cannons, he rocketed forward towards me, "SHOW ME!"

I dodged his strike by a mere hair's width. Before he could even fully turn around, a shotgun blast from the top of the shield peppered my aura, forcing me back.

"Is this really the best that you have to offer?!" he whipped his shield at me and I met him with a strike from Dawn.

"You tell me!" I growled, leaping back and firing a charged shot at his shield. It jarred him, but did little else, even to his aura!

"Pathetic!" his shield twisted ninety degrees forward to where the top of the shield was now facing me. Four holes appeared in the top. "This is firepower!" he fired two homing rockets from his shield.

"Damn!" I muttered as I took to the sky trying to weave and dodge the rockets as they passed.

"Stop it!" I roared as I flapped my wings and sent out a rain of crescent lights. One of the rockets exploded on contact while the other one spiraled off into the abyss below.

"Get back down here!" he said as he leaped up to my level and swatted me back down to the arena hard enough to find myself in a small crater.

"That was cheap shot!" I got back up in a stance.

"Answer my question!" Cody barked at me.

"You keep on asking that when you should really be asking how far you yourself would go", I spat.

"You honestly want to know how far I went?!" he roared as his shield split down the middle into a pair of giant blades.

_I think I might have set him off_.

I mere moments, he was on me again.

"I suffered what no man should have to endure at the hands of the White Fang!" he said as he jabbed forward, nailing me in the hip, "I was forced to suffer their torture methods and died four times in order to save her!" he gave me no time to recover and sent me tumbling end over end in the opposite direction.

"So you tell me now, Altos, what could possibly show more dedication than that?!" I struggled to get back to my feet. My aura was running low now, but was slowly feeding off of Cody's.

Then I found an answer.

"I can only name one thing that bests what you said, and I have it!" I taunted.

"Tell me then! What is it?!" he walked forward towards me slowly.

"I'll tell you in a minute, just to keep you interested, you bastard!" I smiled at him as I set Dawn to change modes.

It had occurred to me that Cody's strength outclassed mine, which meant that he was much faster with a heavy weapon like Steel Heart. If I was going to bring him down, I needed to be faster!

Celestial Dawn disconnected down the middle and formed two separate single edged swords. I was back to duel wielding once more!

"Now you're just trying my patience!" Cody sliced at me, but was stopped by a single blade. Again in frustration, he struck again and again, with a similar result. He got reckless on the next one and I landed a clean slice at his gut. Then another. Then another. And eventually I was whittling away at his aura.

"That's enough!" Cody smirked as he made what appeared to be yet another reckless strike. This time, he used that force to spin his body around and bring his other arm down on top of me. My aura plummeted as I was tossed aside, accidentally letting go of one of my blades!

"Now I want you to tell me what you think makes you nobler than me!" he said approaching. By now it was becoming hard to even move and my aura reserves were all but gone, and so were Cody's.

"I'm not just going to tell you", I said raising my remaining Dawn half to the sky, "I'll show you firsthand!"

Dawn still had more tricks up her sleeve. Cody made his mistake the moment that he stepped in between the two separated blades.

"Now!" I said as I signaled the second piece. In an instant it jumped into the air to make a beeline for the other. The only thing separating the two now was Cody's right arm!

In an instant, Dawn's missing half zipped in and sliced clean through Cody's robotic right arm before reconnecting to form the full sword again.

"Spetz!" Cody cursed as he held his now sparking shoulder.

"_Need some help?" _Dawn asked.

"I got this" I muttered as I got right back to my feet.

"Dammit, no!" Cody snarled as I kicked him to the ground and set Dawn into railgun mode with the end pointed right at Cody's face.

"You were down for the count, dammit!" Cody barked, but went silent as I charged up the cannon.

"Do you want to know why I got back up?" I asked him, "You may have died four times for Val, but you did so because you gave up! You let them kill you when you could have fought! Once I die, that's it, I've failed. I keep on fighting because Val is the first scrap of a family that I've even had on Remnant!"

Cody went still in surprise.

"I had to abandon my own family because they follow what I now see as a corrupted society! I stood and fought for the ideal of what a halcyon should be, and not the traitorous cowards that they are under that shroud of false honor! When I came down to Remnant, Valentine was someone who actually believed in me for who I was, and not just what I was. She was the kind of person who understood and embraced what we once were as a race! She was the reason I stayed in Remnant. She gave me something to fight for. I won't sacrifice my life like you because I know that if I do, I will have failed everyone and everything that I once stood for! My dedication comes from my downright refusal to die, and I guarantee that it's accomplished more than your four deaths did combined! So no stuck up hot shot cyborg knight like you is going to tell me how to be both a team leader and a halcyon!"

"It cut that deep, didn't it?" Cody said with a sneer.

"Deep enough for me to do this", I said as I pulled the trigger without another moment's hesitation.

In that last moment, Cody's eyes went wide with horror and a look that said, "I screwed up". Then in that instant, time stopped. No, I don't mean that in a perceptual manner.

Time literally stopped right in front of my own eyes!

While Cody's death was frozen in time, the entire stage was enveloped by that black dome again, and the fires around the glyph flickered out, leaving me in absolute darkness. Then the dome shattered once more and I was back in Remnant. I was facing the foggy void on the western side of the ruins.

When I looked down, Cody's body was gone.

"You killed me", a shaky voice said. I turned back around to see Cody, alive and…I wouldn't exactly say well. However, his right arm was still intact and he was using his shield to help him stand.

"You actually killed me!" he looked up to me with absolute shock.

"How the hell are you still alive?!" I pointed Dawn's ranged form at him, "I blew your head clean off!"

"That's the power of the Duel of Dragons ritual", he said with a sigh of relief, "It was designed to preserve the combatants' conditions at the moment it is activated. It doesn't shut off until either the caster shuts it down, or until someone dies. Once that happens, the stage resets both combatants to the way they were before the spell was cast, while retaining memory of the events that occurred. It's a battle to the death without true death. Of course, Valentine never actually learned about that part."

"I have half a mind to kill you again!" I charged up another shot.

Cody stood upright with a smile of relief and his shield detached from his gauntlet, falling to the ground.

"If that's the case then I guess I was a tad bit too good at acting."

"What?" I said, letting the charged shot die down.

"Why did you honestly think that I would just challenge you out of the blue like that? I knew you had feelings for Valentine, a need to protect her. Those are all feelings that I held for her. Then early this morning, I failed in my duty. I failed her when I was genuinely putting everything I had into it. Then out of nowhere, you saved her where I couldn't. At first I accused Val of being too weak. Then I saw what you did in the breach, what you really were. It was then that I realized that I had been outmatched."

"Then why fight me like this?" I lowered my weapon, "What was the point in challenging me?"

"I wanted to make sure that you could replace me", he closed his eyes.

"Hold it! What do you mean 'replace you'?! You mean be a knight?!"

"Yes", he said simply.

"But I can't just become a knight! You have to be chosen for that, right?!"

"It's already done!" he almost interrupted in a solemn tone, "The only way that a Scales knight can relinquish his authority is if the knight's opponent either accepts his surrender or kills him in the Duel of Dragons. I knew that you wouldn't fight me, let alone kill me, unless you were pushed past your breaking point, so I was forced to draw out your inner demons by acting. I didn't want to do that to you, but there was no other way. In doing so, I finally got to see your motives and inner drive when pushed past your limits like I was. I wanted to see for myself, to prove once and for all that you had what it took."

He began to walk forwards while removing his left shoulder guard.

"So it was all just a test in the end? You were faking it all?" I asked as I set Dawn back into resting mode.

"Yes, and what I saw was beyond my expectations. Even if you didn't hold the position of team leader, almost all of your deepest goals, desires, and drives lined up with one thing: the role of a Draco Scale knight. That culmination was something that I lacked in. It was this….lacking that caused me to die so many times. All of it together leads to a somehow impossible resilience that refuses to let you die, and it drives you to do anything and everything it takes to hold on to what you value. That is your strength in battle. Now you've proven your worth and passed my test."

His shoulder guard hung loose, revealing skin. Now I could clearly see a silver and blue shield mark that was glowing on his arm. His emblem He reached for it, and the mark dissolved into a mass of white particles which he trapped in his hand, holding out to me.

"Now I know that you're ready."

"Cody, think this over", I protested calmly, "You can still protect her too. I can't just let you abandon that role!"

"All my life, my greatest drive was Valentine's protection. That means that I have to do what I believe will best benefit her. I'm never going to abandon that. However, I find that Valentine is even safer in your care, which is why I'm entrusting you with this title in my place. If you bear this title, no one will ever be able to hurt her again."

A long silence followed.

"Nimbus, you love her. Don't you?"

"Where's this coming from?" I said slightly surprised.

"Just answer the question", Cody ordered patiently.

"Alright! Yes!" I said frustrated now, "I loved hers from the moment she joined the team. She became like a second family to me. Look, don't just ask me that! I know how you two are."

"It's alright", he said with a kind smile, "It wasn't really a romance between us, but it came pretty damn close. Perhaps it would be better if we stayed that way, as childhood friends. She's free if you really want her."

"Now you're just baiting me", I chuckled lightly.

"Not by intention, but it's true. All I'm saying is that Valentine only deserves the best, and I can clearly see now that what she needs is you. So I want you to answer one last question for me. Are you willing to take up this role and title for her sake?"

Again another long pause. He was dead serious about this, and I genuinely hoped that he was right.

"Alright", I nodded, "I'm ready. I accept the role of being Valentine's knight."

"Thank you", he said as he let that little storm of particles form in his hand again, "All that's left to do now is place the mark. It's a ritual enhanced Dust infusion that will leave a mark on the point of application. The size and form depends completely on the person's aura. It's a mark of loyalty that all Scale knights are given upon initiation."

I smiled a little at this. Not but less than an hour ago, I had a similar mark removed. Now here I was receiving a new one, except now it was with a renewed vow, one of genuine loyalty.

"So where should it go?" he asked me.

"Right here", I placed my hand over my chest, "If I'm going to wear this title, I'm wearing it proudly."

"Wise decision", he placed his hand in the middle of my ribcage and the Dust sank through my shirt and into my skin with a slight burning feeling.

When he lifted his hand, nothing happened at first. Then, when I activated my aura, the mark revealed itself, glowing just a fraction of an inch above my shirt black shirt like a hologram.

It was my emblem. In the center was a downward facing sword that almost looked like Dawn, and had the same color scheme. The sword had a pair of violet chains that wrapped around the hilt in an X shape. Finally, a pair of large silver wings with stardust feathers spread in an almost protective manner around the chain at the hilt. Come to think of it, that chain and exact wing position weren't part of my normal emblem. In fact the chain was an aspect of Valentine's emblem!

What's more is that the emblem itself was large enough to stretch all the way across my ribcage.

"I've already informed the Draco Scales of this", Cody said, "They should have received confirmation at the moment it was placed again. That mark will automatically reveal her location when trouble finds her."

"That's convenient", I muttered. Cody put his hand on my shoulder.

"Just remember that this position will do more than just make this official. A time will come when the Draco Scales will call you out. They were not quick to jump to conclusions like the civilians or the Fang. They will not care if you are a halcyon, faunus, or human. They will question and evaluate you, and they _will_ know if you are telling a lie. If you value the dignity of the halcyon race, don't mess up."

"I _won't _mess up!" I gripped his shoulder too, "I…."

Cody's gaze drifted past me and I felt a cold chill run down my spine. I shut down the Dust emblem and turned around.

There was Valentine, her robe blowing in the wind. Her aura was active, and this caused violet chain links to blow along off of her cape, flowing in a manner similar to Ruby's rose petals.

"Cody. Nimbus. Are you guys okay?" she asked with a deep concern.

"She must have been spying on one of us", I closed my eyes and pinched the bridge of my nose, "She wouldn't have known we'd be here otherwise.

"We're fine", Cody said.

Cody whispered something in my ear and he flicked his eyes to the bridge on the south side of the ruins. Come to think of it, that bridge was destroyed back during initiation, along with the rest of the ruins. I guess Goodwitch repairs them after each test, assuming they get that destructive. Still, I got the message.

I needed to step away for a moment.

"Nothing happened, Val", I sighed as I walked past her, "Nothing happened."

.

(Valentine)

Something definitely happened here. I could look into Nimbus' eyes and I saw a sorrowful look, one that you could only see in his eyes after something traumatic. He tried to hide it, but something happened.

"What did you do?" I said quietly after Nimbus was out of hearing range.

"Nothing that you need worry-"

"You challenged him! Didn't you?!" I raised my voice to him, "You challenged him to the Duel of Dragons!"

Cody raised an eyebrow before he nit them both together.

"I did what had to be done", he replied walking back to the northern side of the ruins to the tower.

"Don't turn your back on me!" I rushed to his side again, "How can you do this to us?!"

Cody said not another word. He moved me aside and kept walking past me to the tower. He then began to climb the stairs.

"The Duel is a battle to the death!" I went after him, "You would have to kill him, and I know that he wouldn't have the heart to kill you!"

Cody huffed at this with a weak smile and kept on walking.

"Did you see him as…..what, a threat of some kind?!" I hissed at him, "Do you have any idea who he is and what he has to deal with?!"

"Try me and see if I miss anything", was his only response.

"He has to worry about his collapsing people! He has to worry about the White Fang! He has to worry about running a team! He has to worry about a monster taller than this tower that killed his father! He has to worry about running a team and saving me on a now regular basis. He has more to worry about than you and the team combined!"

"Nothing I didn't know."

"Don't you get it?!" I yelled at him, "He is already carrying the weight of all of Remnant on his wings! If you kill him, everything he stood for will have gone to waste! He's what this world needs!"

"Is he really?" Cody looked at me over his shoulder with a stone cold gaze, "Do you really think that he's what you need? Do you honestly think that he'll be able to even function correctly with all of that on his shoulders? Do you?!"

"Yes, he's struggling, but he'll crumble if you do this to him! The anticipation of merely waiting for your duel is going to kill him! Even if the stress doesn't kill him then, how can you expect him to even fight you, let alone kill you with so much on his mind?!"

"What's done is done. There's no turning back now."

"You _can_ turn back and you better turn back!"

"Even if I had that chance I wouldn't take it. It has to be this way."

"Why did you challenge him?!" I tried to grab his shoulder but his mechanical right hand grabbed me at the wrist. He led me up the stairs.

"Valentine, you should now more than anyone else that my top priority is your protection. I can and must make decisions and take actions that will ensure your safety. That's my call to make, not yours! Quite frankly, challenging Nimbus went with that mentality more perfectly than anything else."

"Didn't you hear what I said earlier?! He saved me twice this morning! How does challenging someone like him fit with your mentality?!"

He said not a word as we reached the top of the tower.

"Look. You were right about me! I admit it!" I told him, "I'm not strong enough to fight on my own. I see that now! You're wrong about Nimbus! He's not like me! I have to rely on him as much as you, but he doesn't need a team to fight! Yet for some reason he was kind enough to even give a damn about our kind when all else turned dark for his own kind! All he wants is to stop this conflict in a peaceful way and you're expecting him to actually put up a fair fight!"

Cody slammed down his shield, making the entire structure tremble and he walked towards me.

"You don't even know what you're saying!" he said as I backed up to the edge of the tower, "You're wrong about Nimbus, and now I know this for a fact! Do you really want to know what went down while you were following us?! Here's the answer that will silence every doubt you have running around in your head."

With a light shove, I went over the edge.

"Cody!" I yelled out at first but I wasn't paying full attention to my surroundings. Just as I left the edge of the ruined tower, I immediately found myself in the arms of someone else. Someone who was hovering in place right there.

"That makes three times today, your highness!" a familiar voice said.

"Nimbus?!" he said as I activated my gravity semblance and floated in midair. Seriously, I would have been so shocked in that moment that I probably would have forgotten to use that semblance if Nimbus hadn't been there!

"Perfect timing man!" Cody said with a sudden smile on his face, and I mean like a genuinely happy smile.

"Hold it! Hold it! What's really going on here?!" I said in utter confusion, "Were you challenged or not?!"

"Don't feel too bad, Val!" Nimbus laughed, "The bastard pulled the same trick on me when we dueled! He's a great actor."

"It was all kind of done at a moment's notice, but I needed to see your true frame of mind", Cody said calmly, "I've only got one complaint with what I saw: you underestimated your team leader. Also, even though I made it seem like I had different plans, I didn't lie at all."

"He wasn't kidding", Nimbus stepped in, "He really did challenge me to the Duel of Dragons and we fought just before you showed up. The rules behind it were much more different from what I, or you for that matter, were expecting. In short, it's like hitting a reset button. Of course I didn't find that out until after the match. He pulled that same act on me while we were fighting."

"Guys! That's still not a joking matter!" I yelled at them, "You heard what I said, Cody! Even if it was just acting, putting that much stress on him could crush-!"

"Valentine, I said that you underestimated him."

"But why?" I asked, but then I saw the glowing emblem on Nimbus' chest. The story became clear.

"Valentine", Cody spoke up gesturing to Nimbus, "He is your new knight."

My heart pounded in my chest as I took this in.

"Nimbus, leave us alone for a moment", I told my leader and he dove into the abyss below.

"Val-."

"I just don't get it", I walked down the stairs, "You went on and on about how you needed to be there to protect me, and now you drop _this _on my head?! I can only take so much in one day!"

"It's done now", Cody told me.

"Without my consent!" I turned around, "After everything we've been through, you're abandoning your lifelong role!"

"I'm not abandoning my role. I'm passing it on to someone better suited for that position. Let me tell you that he taught me a lesson I was too protective."

"But Nimbus can't do this! He has too much on his plate to worry about as it is! He can't last for much longer!"

"Valentine!" Cody whirled me around, "He can and will last! I saw with my own eyes how powerful his drive is and I know that you will never find another guy like him on Remnant!"

"But he-."

"HE KILLED ME!"

The silence following that roar was deafening. Nimbus was one of the kindest people I knew. What could drive him to kill like that?!

"Val, he _loves_ you! Hi drive to impress and succeed for you is so strong that he was impossible to keep down in a fight! Everything he has on his shoulders makes him stronger! I've heard about everything he's endured, and no man should have to undergo what he did! And what does he do? He gets right back up onto his feet, lifts his sword to the sky and he screams 'Bring it on'! That is exactly what you need in a knight! His cause is noble, he's pure of heart, and most of all he loves you like no one else on the planet! I saw all of this with my semblance!"

That last bit caught me off guard. Cody's semblance lets him see into the hearts of his opponent. As he trades blows, he understands them more. The more damage dealt to either side, the more he understands. Should he _die_, I could only imagine that he learns everything there is to know! The Duel of Dragons was the perfect way to test Nimbus' worth!

If Cody was being so adamant, he saw something that I missed, something that made Nimbus more than just the paladin I saw before.

He was nothing short of a living breathing guardian angel!

And he…loved me? All this time and I missed it?! Everything he did and endured was with me in mind?! Slowly tears dripped down my cheeks.

"I see now", I said with a weak smile, "But what about you?"

"I'm not going anywhere", he patted my shoulder and led me down the stairs, "I'm just happy that you'll be in better hands from now on. Somehow I get the feeling that for the first time, I'll be able to have a peaceful sleep at night. Go on. Go back to Beacon with him and I'll be right behind you. Now that you know all of this, watch his actions and you'll see for yourself. He views you in a respect higher than anyone else."

(End of Chapter 23)

.

Hey everybody! Beowulf here!

Sorry this chapter took so long. I've actually gotten into RWBY Role Playing and that's suddenly taken a good bit of my time.

Not much else to say today.

Anyways, thank you all for reading, if you like what you see, BLAST THAT LIKE BUTTON INTO OBLIVION AND BEYOND!

This is Beowulf and the OC Crew signing out for now!


End file.
